It should be noted that Israeli forces have been penetrating the buffer zone and Mount Hermon on the Syrian border since December 2024, where they have established military positions and points in addition to intelligence monitoring points.
Regarding the Gaza file, Katz affirmed that “all tunnels in the sector will be dismantled until the last tunnel, and Hamas will be disarmed within the yellow line areas by the Israeli army, and in the old Gaza Strip through international force – or the Israeli army.”
On the other hand, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir reiterated their criticism of any international move aimed at recognizing a Palestinian state, and also directed criticism at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, considering that he is adhering to “political silence” at the present time.
In contrast, the US administration continues its efforts to find a solution to the crisis of Hamas fighters besieged in tunnels in Rafah, south of the Strip, in the context of the transition to the second phase of the Gaza agreement, amid Israeli refusal to allow them to leave without announcing their surrender and handing over their weapons.
It is worth mentioning that this is not the first time that Katz has threatened to keep Israeli forces on Mount Hermon or inside the territories it seized in southern Lebanon, as he has repeated this position on many previous occasions.
