Israeli defense minister orders military to continue demolitions in Gaza despite ceasefire

International health and human rights organizations have repeatedly challenged Israel’s justifications for its military assaults in Gaza. (Photo/Reuters)

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Saturday that he instructed the army to continue demolitions in the part of Gaza remaining under Israeli control as part of the first phase of ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.

“I have instructed the IDF (Israeli army) to prioritise the destruction of the tunnels as the central task in the yellow zone currently under our control, alongside protecting the soldiers and communities,” Katz wrote on X.

He said it is being done in parallel with the discussions with US officials, including the vice president, secretaries of state and defence, presidential envoys and CENTCOM commanders — on the need to implement US President Donald Trump’s plan and ensure the full “dismantling and destruction of all terror tunnels in the remaining territory under their responsibility, alongside disarming Hamas”.

“Demilitarising Gaza through the destruction of Hamas’s tunnels, alongside disarming Hamas, is, in my view, the most important strategic objective for achieving victory in Gaza,” he said.

Katz added that the most urgent moral mission is the return of all hostages and the fallen to their homes, and “we will do everything to fulfill this sacred and critical mission”.

“The overarching strategic mission to realise the great victory achieved by the heroic IDF (Israeli army) fighters against Hamas in Gaza is the demilitarisation of Gaza through the complete destruction of the tunnels, 60% of which still remain — alongside disarming Hamas,” he said.

However, international health and human rights organisations have repeatedly challenged Israel’s justifications for its military assaults in Gaza.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Israel has systematically targeted dozens of hospitals since October 7, 2023, with at least 32 hospitals and 53 primary health centres damaged or destroyed. The WHO has documented major strikes on the Al-Shifa, Nasser, Indonesian, and Al-Quds hospitals, which killed medical staff, patients, and displaced civilians sheltering inside.

The organisation and other independent observers report that the attacks crippled Gaza’s healthcare system. Premature babies died when incubators lost power, doctors were detained, and hospital wards were converted into makeshift morgues.

Israel has said such facilities were used by Hamas for military purposes, describing hospitals as “command centres” and tunnel sites. But, according to WHO and several human rights groups, no verifiable evidence has been made public to support those claims.

Israel has occasionally released drone footage or diagrams alleging the presence of tunnels, but these have not been independently verified. Calls by journalists and international monitors for access to the sites have largely gone unanswered.

The phased Gaza ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, brokered through regional and international mediation, took effect October 10, even though Israel violated it regularly.

Phase one includes the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and a partial Israeli withdrawal. It also envisages rebuilding Gaza and establishing a new governing mechanism without Hamas.

Since October 2023, the Israeli war has killed more than 68,500 people and injured over 170,300 others, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza.

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Source: TRT