Jerusalem, Israel - Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday said it was only a matter of time before Jerusalem resumes full-scale war in Gaza and forces out its two million Palestinians.
Katz said 70% of Gaza had already been emptied of its population by Israel's violent campaign, which has been ruled a genocide by the United Nations.
He claimed that an October 2025 ceasefire announced by President Donald Trump had "supreme value for all Israelis" by leading to the return of remaining hostages and ensuring "a commitment by the United States" to disarming Hamas.
"We all understand that this is not going to happen – and the IDF is prepared, once given the directive to eliminate Hamas, to finish the job so that we can also implement the migration plan," Katz said in a statement.
Earlier this month, he said that Israel was ready to remove Palestinians from Gaza by sea and land, but was waiting for the US to come to a decision on where the territory's two million people would go.
US Ambassador Mike Huckabee has denied any plan to "displace people out of Gaza against their will."
Katz had described the migration plan as voluntary, baselessly claiming that most Palestinians wanted to leave.
Nearly all of Gaza's population has been internally displaced and most of the territory lies in rubble due to Israel's indiscriminate bombing campaign, which has killed more than 70,000 people – including tens of thousands of children.
While the 11-month-old so-called ceasefire has reduced the level of violence, Israel has still regularly attacked Gaza, claiming the lives of at least 1375 Palestinians.