WhatsappFor nearly three years, Israel has been dismantling Hamas piece by piece. Now Defense Minister Israel Katz is making clear that the campaign will not necessarily end at Gaza’s borders.
But the significance goes beyond another senior Hamas commander being removed.
October 7 was not simply another terrorist attack. Hamas demonstrated what it intends to do when given the opportunity, and the people who planned, commanded and participated in that massacre cannot simply relocate abroad and assume geography provides permanent protection.
That appears to be the message Katz wants Hamas’s leadership to understand.
“The Hamas leaders abroad are also in the crosshairs,” Katz declared, adding that those who played central roles in October 7 should not expect to live out their lives peacefully.
Katz also referenced Israel’s previous attempt to strike senior Hamas figures in Qatar, saying that while they escaped then, another opportunity would come.
This represents something larger than targeted eliminations. It reflects the Israeli security doctrine emerging from October 7: terrorist leadership cannot be allowed to believe that distance creates immunity.
For decades, Israel repeatedly allowed wars to end with enemy leadership structures still functioning, rebuilding and preparing for another round.
October 7 shattered the assumptions behind that approach.
The emerging message is different: dismantle the organization, destroy its military infrastructure, eliminate those responsible for the massacre, and prevent Hamas from rebuilding the capabilities that made October 7 possible.
The question for Hamas’s remaining leadership is therefore becoming increasingly simple.
Not whether Israel remembers October 7.
But how long Israel is prepared to pursue those responsible.
