JERUSALEM — Israel's defense minister said Wednesday it was only a matter of time before the country resumes full-scale war in Gaza and moves to force out its two million Palestinians.
Israel Katz, who is known for outspoken remarks, was responding to criticism from another right-wing contender ahead of October 27 elections.
Katz said 70 percent of Gaza had already been emptied of its population in the Israeli offensive launched after the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas.
He said that an October 2025 ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump had "supreme value for all Israelis" by leading to the return of remaining hostages and ensuring "a commitment by the United States" to disarming Hamas.
"We all understand that this is not going to happen — and the IDF is prepared, once given the directive to eliminate Hamas, to finish the job so that we can also implement the migration plan," Katz said in a statement, referring to the Israeli military.
He said earlier this month that Israel was ready to remove Palestinians from Gaza by sea and land but was waiting for the United States, which he said was discussing where the two million people would go.
US Ambassador Mike Huckabee has denied any plan to "displace people out of Gaza against their will".
Katz had described the migration plan as voluntary, saying most Palestinians wanted to leave.
Nearly all of Gaza's population has been internally displaced and most of the territory lies in rubble after the war.
The Hamas-led attack of October 7, 2023 killed 1,221 people, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures, the deadliest attack ever against Israel.
Militants also took 251 hostages to Gaza.
Israel's retaliatory military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 73,700 people, according to the territory's health ministry, which operates under Hamas authority and does not distinguish between combatants and civilians, and whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations.
While the 11-month-old ceasefire has reduced the level of violence, Israel has still regularly carried out strikes in Gaza.
A total of 1,375 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire came into effect, according to the Gaza health ministry.
Hamas said in late July that it was ready to disarm, in what Trump hailed as a breakthrough.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the latest stage of the plan and said there would be no Israeli withdrawal from Gaza until Hamas verifiably decommissions all weapons.
yif-sct/axn