Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz claimed on Monday that his country is not fighting the civilians in the Gaza Strip but that Hamas is putting their lives in danger.
"Let me be clear - Israel is not fighting the civilians in Gaza and is doing everything that international law requires to mitigate harm to civilians. But when Hamas fights in civilian dress, from civilian homes, and from behind civilians, it puts civilians in danger and they pay a horrible price. That is why we are urging Gazans to evacuate combat zones," Katz said in a post on X, reiterating that Israel will "not stop until our hostages are released and Hamas is no longer in control of the Gaza Strip and is no longer a threat to Israel and Israelis."
The Israeli defense minister warned Hamas last week that if it doesn't release hostages, it will "lose more and more land."
