DM Katz to Gaza protesters: 'Only way to end war is removal of Hamas, release of hostages’

Against the backdrop of renewed protests against Hamas in Gaza, Defense Minister Israel Katz addressed the protesters, calling on them to continue the demonstrations and demand the removal of Hamas and the release of the hostages. 

"Soon the IDF will operate forcefully in other areas of Gaza, and you will be required to evacuate and lose more and more territory that will be added to the Israeli defense system," the defense minister said in a message posted on 𝕏 with Arabic translation, adding that plans for the future are already ready and approved.

"Demand the removal of Hamas from Gaza and the immediate release of all Israeli hostages – this is the only way to stop the war.” 

أهل غزة،

قريبا سيتحرك جيش الدفاع بقوة في مناطق أخرى في غزة وسيطلب منكم الإخلاء من مناطق القتال لحمايتكم.

إن الخطط جاهزة وقد تمت المصادقة عليها.

حماس تعرّض حياتكم للخطر وستجعلكم تخسرون بيوتكم والمزيد من الأراضي التي سيتم ضمها إلى منظومة الدفاع الإسرائيلية.

لقد دمر السنوار… pic.twitter.com/gCbBaJL1Bt

— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) March 26, 2025

Katz was referring to the Israeli government's decision to begin seizing territory in Gaza and annexing it incrementally for each day that the hostages remain in captivity.

At the same time, the Israeli security establishment assessed that the demonstrations in Gaza over the past two days are an authentic, local phenomenon, and not the initiative of any external party, including the Palestinian Authority (PA). 

A security official told Kan News on Wednesday evening that neither the PA nor Israel has been involved in organizing the protests. According to a report in The Jerusalem Post, a security official estimates that the protests were started by families that have suffered heavy losses from the fighting. 

The security establishment also believes that there is potential for the protests to expand from the northern part of the Strip to the south. IDF troops in Gaza have been instructed to exercise greater caution to avoid civilian harm, in an effort to prevent a resurgence of anti-Israel sentiment that could ultimately benefit Hamas.

Protests took place in Shejayah for the second day on Wednesday, with crowds chanting, “Hamas out, we want to live.” The phrase “We want to live” is being revived from the 2019 protests against Hamas, when Gaza residents demonstrated over tax hikes and the high cost of living in the Strip.

In Wednesday’s protests, some people held signs that read, “Hamas doesn’t represent us.” 

While many in Israel have welcomed the protests as a positive sign, they do not appear to indicate a more favorable opinion among Gaza residents towards Israel. 

A resident of Beit Lahiyah said he was protesting “against the war, against Hamas, and the [Palestinian political] factions, against Israel and against the world’s silence.”

Another protester said the Palestinian people are “angry at the whole world.” 

“We want Hamas to resolve this situation, return the hostages, and end this whole thing,” he added. 

Hamas, which largely ignored the protests on Tuesday before trying to spin them as “anti-war” protests, issued its first condemnation of the protests, while claiming the demonstrations were actually against Israel. 

Senior Hamas official Basem Naim told the Qatari channel Al-Araby that “demonstrations are expected from people facing extermination, against war and destruction.” 

“People are calling to stop the aggression, but the enemy and other parties with political agendas are diverting the spontaneous protests to serve the occupation’s agenda and trying to portray it as if the demonstrators are against the resistance,” Naim said.