Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, has placed the military on high alert ahead of the third anniversary of Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, warning that Gazans would pay a “heavy price” if Israeli forces are harmed.
CDA News Nigeria reports that the minister’s office announced the move on Tuesday. It said the instruction followed intelligence about Hamas’s intentions to attempt attacks against Israeli forces in Gaza on the anniversary.
According to reports, Katz said that if Israeli soldiers were harmed, Hamas and the people of Gaza would pay a price that he described as completely disproportionate.
CDA News Nigeria gathered that Hamas’s 2023 attack was the deadliest day in Israel’s history, with 1,221 people killed, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. Militants also took 251 hostages into Gaza, 44 of whom were already dead.
Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has since killed more than 74,200 people, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, which operates under Hamas authority and whose figures the United Nations deems reliable. Israel still controls most of Gaza and says it will not withdraw until Hamas’s disarmament has been verified.
The announcement came a day after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a Gaza ceasefire ahead of the anniversary. Guterres acknowledged that a brief ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump in October 2025 brought some relief. On Monday, at a state ceremony marking three years since the attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there would be no Hamas rule in Gaza.
The claims about Hamas’s intentions come from Israeli authorities and have not been independently verified. At the time of filing, there was no reported response from Hamas to the warning.
CDA News Nigeria will update this story as more information emerges.
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