Katz Boasts About Destroying Residential Towers and Threatens to Turn Gaza into "Rubble"

SadaNews - Israeli Security Minister, Israel Katz, boasted today, Wednesday, that the occupation army has destroyed 25 residential towers in the city of Gaza since the onset of its ground operations, claiming they are "buildings associated with terrorism," and threatening that the sector "will be devastated and turned into rubble" if Hamas does not release the hostages and surrender its weapons.

Katz stated in a post on "X" that "with the start of the ground maneuver and the transfer of command responsibility to field commanders, 25 terrorist towers were destroyed. A huge and significant number. This is to remove any sniper threat to the forces. Terrorists were killed, and infrastructure was demolished. The residents of Gaza were asked to move south for their protection."

Katz added, threatening: "If Hamas does not release the hostages and abandons its weapons, then Gaza will be devastated and turn into a memorial for the killers and rapists of Hamas," as he put it.

This comes while the occupation army continued its intensive bombardment of the city of Gaza and its surroundings on Wednesday, announcing the establishment of a "temporary transit route" via Salah al-Din Street for residents to head south, starting from Wednesday noon until Friday noon, claiming it is to "facilitate movement to humanitarian areas."

The Israeli occupation army announced that it has expanded its ground operations in the city, which has been bombed with over 150 targets since late Monday into Tuesday, noting that military estimates indicate that there are between two thousand to three thousand Hamas fighters in the city.

In recent days, there has been massive displacement from Gaza, with more than 350,000 people estimated to have fled from the intense occupation attacks, while others remain despite the destruction and bombardment. Um Ahmad Younes (44 years old) said: "The bombardment here is like there... death is cheaper and more merciful."

Meanwhile, Fatima Labed (36 years old), who has displaced south with her family, explained that they had to sleep in the open near the sea: "It feels like we are living the Day of Judgment or hell. Even hell is easier." The Civil Defense in Gaza reported that more than 40 martyrs have risen in the past night, including 23 in the city of Gaza alone.

The Israeli attack on the city has drawn widespread international condemnation, with Jordan's King Abdullah II stating that the operations aim to "displace Palestinians from their land," while China confirmed its rejection of the expansion of military operations.

The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, warned that Israel is "determined to go to the end" in its campaign. The European Commission also suggested imposing trade restrictions on Israel and sanctions against extremist ministers in Benjamin Netanyahu's government.

An independent international investigation committee affiliated with the United Nations concluded on Tuesday that Israel has been committing "genocide" in Gaza for over two years, amid the catastrophic humanitarian situation and the official declaration of famine in the sector by the United Nations last August.