Israel warns Gazans will pay ‘heavy price’ for any October 7 attacks on military– www.france24.com

Israel’s defence minister on Tuesday said he had put the military on high alert before the anniversary of Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, warning Gazans would pay a “heavy price” if forces were harmed.

The office of Defence Minister Israel Katz said the instruction came “in light of intelligence regarding Hamas’s intentions to attempt to carry out attacks and terror operations against our forces in Gaza on that day”.

“If, heaven forbid, our forces are harmed, the ones who will pay the heavy price will be Hamas and the population of Gaza – beyond all proportion,” the statement added.

Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack was the deadliest day in Israel’s history, resulting in the deaths of 1,221 people, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Militants also dragged 251 hostages into Gaza, 44 of them already dead.

Read moreIsrael prepares to mark October 7

In response, Israel launched a military offensive that 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 and whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations.