Defense Minister Warns Israel Will ‘Dismantle’ Hamas After Gaza Attack Severely Wounds IDF Soldier

Israel’s Defense Minister warned that the IDF will “dismantle” Hamas if the terror group refuses to disarm. “After we have completed the objective of bringing back all of our hostages, we are determined to complete the disarmament of Hamas and the full demilitarization of Gaza,” Yisrael Katz said. “If Hamas does not disarm in accordance with the agreed framework, we will dismantle it and all of its capabilities,” he added. Mr. Katz’s warning came after armed Palestinians attacked and seriously wounded an Israeli soldier in Gaza, prompting IDF retaliatory strikes that reportedly killed 18 people.The IDF announced that “terrorists opened fire against Israeli troops operating east of the yellow line” in northern Gaza on Tuesday evening, which “severely” wounded an Israeli soldier. The soldier was evacuated to a hospital in Israel following the attack. “Upon identification of the fire, IDF armored units (tanks) and IAF aircraft conducted strikes” the IDF said, adding that Israeli troops continue to search the area for “remaining terrorists. The incident is still ongoing. Palestinian reports said that Israeli attacks in both northern and southern Gaza killed 18 people without clarifying how many were combatants. Several of those killed were reportedly children. Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) meanwhile announced that the Rafah border crossing, separating Egypt from Gaza, opened on Wednesday morning “as usual, in accordance with the agreement and Israel’s commitment.”COGAT added that the World Health Organization, which is responsible for coordinating the arrival of residents from the Gaza Strip to the Rafah Crossing, “has not submitted the required coordination details at this stage for procedural reasons.”“Once the coordination details are submitted as agreed upon, the transfer of patients and their companions into Egypt via the Rafah Crossing will be facilitated,” COGAT said. The statement came after WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Tuesday that the organization “supported the medical evacuation of five patients and 7 companions to Egypt via the Rafah Crossing — the first medical evacuation through this route since mid-March 2025.”To expedite access to life-saving care, “WHO continues to call for the immediate reopening of the medical referral route to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem,” his statement continued, adding that more than 18,500 patients in Gaza still require specialized medical care that is unavailable inside the Strip.”Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office meanwhile issued a statement following his meeting with President Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, saying that Mr. Netanyahu “reiterated the uncompromising demand for the disarmament of Hamas, the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, and the fulfillment of the war objectives prior to the reconstruction of the Strip.”“The Prime Minister clarified that the Palestinian Authority will not be part of the administration of the Gaza Strip in any way, and updated US Ambassador Huckabee on the grave violations discovered in the Strip in the use of UNRWA bags to conceal weaponry,” the statement added. The prime minister referred to the IDF saying on Tuesday that soldiers from the 7th Brigade, under the command of the Gaza Division, “located approximately 110 mortar shells, several rockets, and additional weapons, which had been hidden inside blankets and UNRWA humanitarian aid bags.”

Defense Minister Warns Israel Will ‘Dismantle’ Hamas After Gaza Attack Severely Wounds IDF Soldier

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