Israel’s defense minister Israel Katz said Tuesday that he had put the military on high alert ahead of the third anniversary of Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack. He cited intelligence about possible attacks and terror operations against Israeli forces in Gaza. Katz’s office said he ordered the alert because Hamas intended to target Israeli forces that day.
Hamas Threat Warning
Katz’s office said the defense minister warned that if Israeli forces were harmed, Hamas and Gaza’s population would pay a “heavy price.” It said the consequences would be “beyond all proportion.” The statement didn’t provide further details about the intelligence or identify specific planned attacks. Katz announced the alert on Tuesday, October 6, ahead of the October 7 anniversary.
Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack killed 1,221 people, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. The article described it as the deadliest day in Israel’s history. Militants also dragged 251 hostages into Gaza; 44 of them were already dead. Those figures describe the attack and hostage-taking that Israel’s military alert now precedes.
Israel’s Response and Gaza Casualties
Israel launched a military offensive in response to the attack. It has left most of Gaza in ruins and killed more than 74,200 people, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which is under Hamas authority. The United Nations considers the ministry’s figures reliable, the article reported.
Since a ceasefire was declared last October, Israeli forces have killed more than 1,440 people in Gaza, the health ministry said. The article attributes the figure to the ministry and notes its connection to Hamas authority. It doesn’t provide further details about the reported deaths, the circumstances of individual incidents, or the military targets involved.
On Monday, October 5, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke at a state ceremony marking three years since the attack. He said there would be “no Hamas rule in Gaza” and vowed to keep targeting anyone involved in the attack or anyone who held hostages. The ceremony took place two days before the anniversary date specified in the article.
Gaza Plan and Aid Reporting
The available reporting provides no analysis of Trump’s Gaza plan and no figures or details about humanitarian aid deliveries. The Reuters source couldn’t be fetched, and its reporting on the Gaza plan and aid deliveries isn’t included. No conclusions about the plan’s terms, aid volumes, or distribution can be drawn from the information provided.
The reported security picture remains limited. It covers Katz’s warning, the high-alert instruction, and the account of the October 7 attack and its aftermath. The article doesn’t describe specific weapons, tunnels, or other military infrastructure in Gaza, nor does it report additional statements from Hamas. It records Netanyahu’s rejection of Hamas rule and his pledge to target those involved in the attack or hostage-taking.