Israeli DM puts Gaza forces on high alert over Hamas threats ahead of Oct. 7

Amid warnings of possible Hamas kidnapping attempts during the third anniversary of the October 7 invasion, Defense Minister Israel Katz orders IDF to put forces in Gaza on high alert.

By World Israel News Staff

Israel has placed its forces in the Gaza Strip on heightened alert after receiving intelligence that Hamas may attempt attacks against IDF troops on Wednesday, the third anniversary of the October 7 massacre, amid mounting warnings that the terrorist organization is seeking opportunities to abduct Israeli soldiers.

Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the military Tuesday to prepare for severe scenarios and act preemptively against emerging threats, saying intelligence indicated Hamas was planning possible assaults timed to coincide with the anniversary.

The heightened readiness comes as Israeli security officials assess that Hamas is concentrating significant resources on attempts to seize soldiers from IDF positions inside Gaza, including through raids targeting troops deployed along the Yellow Line.

Katz instructed commanders to respond aggressively to intelligence or warnings indicating an imminent threat rather than waiting for an attack to materialize.

He also issued a stark warning about the consequences if Hamas succeeds in harming Israeli troops.

“If, God forbid, our forces are harmed, Hamas and the population of Gaza will pay a heavy price — beyond all proportion,” Katz said.

The warning follows a series of recent indications that Hamas is attempting to rebuild its military capabilities despite nearly three years of Israeli operations and a ceasefire framework that envisioned the terrorist organization eventually being disarmed.

Shin Bet chief David Zini warned ministers during a security cabinet meeting Monday that Hamas is actively looking for opportunities to kidnap soldiers and could attempt such an operation during the politically sensitive period surrounding Israel’s October 27 election.

IDF Intelligence Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder delivered a similarly pessimistic assessment of Hamas’s intentions, telling ministers that the terrorist organization was making major efforts to rearm.

“It doesn’t seem it is headed toward demilitarization,” Binder said.

Israeli intelligence believes Hamas fears that full-scale fighting in Gaza could resume after the US midterm elections in November and is preparing for that possibility.

Security assessments cited in Israeli reports say Hamas has been preparing infrastructure for a renewed confrontation, including allegedly concealing weapons inside hospitals.

The IDF has also recently identified preparations for attacks closer to its current positions.

In one reported case, dozens of terrorists were allegedly assembled for an ambush against troops from the IDF’s 99th Division near the Yellow Line, with Israeli officials assessing that the plan included an effort to capture soldiers.

Another recent attack involved an explosive device detonated against an unmanned Israeli military engineering vehicle. No soldiers were injured.

The danger of another abduction has taken on particular significance in Israeli security planning following the October 7, 2023 attack, when Hamas-led terrorists invaded southern Israel, murdered approximately 1,200 people and abducted 251 hostages into Gaza.

Katz last month threatened an overwhelming response if Hamas were to seize another Israeli, saying such an attack could result in the evacuation of Gaza City and a major expansion of Israeli operations.

The military’s heightened readiness also reflects concern that Hamas may seek to exploit the symbolism of October 7.

On the second anniversary of the massacre last year, terrorists in Gaza fired a rocket toward the Israeli border community of Netiv Ha’asara.

No rocket fired from Gaza has crossed into Israeli territory since then, although another projectile launched in January fell short inside the Strip.

The latest warning comes just a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used Israel’s official memorial ceremony to vow that Hamas would not be permitted to retain control of Gaza.

“There will be no Hamas rule in Gaza,” Netanyahu said.

He also vowed that Israel would continue hunting those responsible for the 2023 massacre and the captivity of Israeli hostages.

“Everyone who was involved in the attack against us, everyone who held our hostages, is living on borrowed time,” he said. “We will reach them as we reached others.”

Israel says it has increasingly focused on tracking down individual terrorists involved in the October 7 invasion.

Katz said Monday that approximately 4,000 of the roughly 6,000 terrorists who entered Israel during the attack have since been killed, leaving an estimated 2,000 still alive.

He said Netanyahu and he had instructed the security establishment to pursue all surviving participants in the massacre “without limitation and in every situation,” regardless of rank.

Israeli military officials say they have inflicted enormous damage on Hamas’s infrastructure.

Binder told ministers this week that approximately 95% of the terrorist tunnels located inside the Israeli-controlled Yellow Line have been destroyed.

Zini, speaking separately at a Shin Bet memorial ceremony ahead of the anniversary, warned that Israel’s enemies are constantly studying the country’s defenses and changing their methods.

“The enemy learns us, adapts itself, develops new capabilities and methods,” he said.

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