Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Jan. 10 that he had ordered the military to present him with a plan “for the complete defeat of Hamas in Gaza,” if there is no hostage deal by the time Donald Trump, the incoming President, enters the White House on Jan. 20. “If the hostage deal does not materialize by the time President Trump takes office, there must be a complete defeat of Hamas in Gaza,” Katz said in a statement issued by his office, reported the Times of Israel. “We must not be drawn into a war of attrition that will cost us heavily and not lead to victory and the complete strategic defeat of Hamas and the end of the war in Gaza,” he added.
Katz said he had instructed the Israel Defense Forces to present him with plans for the “complete defeat” of Hamas during a Jan. 9 Thursday night assessment with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and other top officers.
