DM Katz warns: A 'hurricane will strike the skies over Gaza City' if hostages not released

On Monday, Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened the Hamas terror organization, saying that if the group does not release the hostages and lay down its weapons, “a powerful hurricane will strike the skies of Gaza City.” 

“Today, a powerful hurricane will strike the skies of Gaza City, and the roofs of the terror towers will tremble,” Katz wrote in Hebrew to 𝕏. “This is a final warning to the murderers and rapists of Hamas in Gaza and in luxury hotels abroad: Release the hostages and lay down your weapons—or Gaza will be destroyed, and you will be annihilated.” 

Katz also warned that the IDF is continuing with its operations to take over Gaza City and defeat the terror group in the enclave. 

“The IDF continues as planned—and is preparing to expand the maneuver to decisively defeat Gaza,” Katz said.  

Katz’s comments, posted to his account on 𝕏, came after U.S. President Donald Trump also gave a warning to Hamas on his Truth Social account, telling the group to agree to the U.S. proposal, which he claimed Israel had accepted. 

“Everyone wants the Hostages HOME. Everyone wants this War to end! The Israelis have accepted my Terms. It is time for Hamas to accept as well. I have warned Hamas about the consequences of not accepting. This is my last warning, there will not be another one!” Trump wrote on Sunday. 

Earlier on Monday, the IDF issued another warning regarding a high-rise building in Gaza City which it planned to target. 

IDF Arabic Spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee posted a note to 𝕏, telling Gazans to evacuate the building, and calling on them to head towards the humanitarian zones in Ihan Younis and al-Mawasi. 

“Urgent Warning to Residents of Gaza City in Blocks 783, 784, 785, 786 and specifically in the building marked in red and the adjacent tents located on Jamal Abdul Nasser Street,” Adraee wrote.

“The IDF will strike the building soon due to the presence of Hamas terrorist infrastructure inside it or adjacent to it. For your safety, you are required to immediately evacuate the building and the adjacent tents southwards towards the humanitarian area in al-Mawasi, Khan Younis.” 

#عاجل ‼️ إنذار عاجل إلى سكان مدينة غزة في البلوكات 783, 784, 785, 786 وتحديدًا في المبنى المحدد بالأحمر والخيم المجاورة له والواقع في شارع جمال عبد النصر

⭕️سيهاجم جيش الدفاع المبنى في الوقت القريب نظرًا لوجود بنى تحتية إرهابية لحماس داخله أو بجواره

⭕️من أجل سلامتكم أنتم مضطرون… pic.twitter.com/1vLkjVEg9l

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) September 8, 2025

The IDF has struck several high-rise buildings over the past couple days, claiming that Hamas has been using them for observation and intelligence monitoring. After it struck the first such building last week, the IDF said that it had identified other buildings which would be targeted over the coming days. 

“The Southern Command and the Air Force intend to attack additional towers in the heart of Gaza City in the coming days. It's not going to stop,” an IDF source told Walla News over the weekend. “At the same time, assessments of the situation will be conducted in order to analyze the movement of the Palestinian population southwards.” 

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday evening that about 100,000 Palestinians had evacuated Gaza City since the IDF first called on civilians to flee the city ahead of the military’s ground incursion. Up to around 1 million civilians are estimated to remain in the city. 

With President Trump’s proposal being pushed by the U.S. government, analysts do not expect the start of major ground operations within Gaza City in the next couple of days, in order to give Hamas a chance to respond to the proposal. Katz’s threat appears to be a move to apply more pressure on Hamas to accept the proposal, which would see the release of all remaining Israeli hostages. 

Hamas has said that it is considering the U.S. proposal, but affirmed its own demands, including the withdrawal of Israeli forces and a guarantee of no new Israeli aggression during the discussions for a final ceasefire.