Gaza Herald __In an explicit declaration of intent to expand its targeted killings across international borders, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has threatened to assassinate Palestinian political leaders living abroad, signaling that Israel is prepared to launch strikes inside sovereign foreign nations to eliminate Hamas leadership.
Following the assassination of Izz al-Din al-Bik, commander of Hamas’s Northern Gaza Brigade, Israeli War Minister Israel Katz issued a video statement blatantly threatening to murder Palestinian leaders living abroad, making clear that Israeli occupation forces intend to carry out illegal strikes in foreign sovereign states.
“The Hamas leaders abroad are also in our crosshairs,” Katz declared, asserting that none of those Israel holds responsible for the October 7 operations will be allowed to live.
In a direct admission of past extraterritorial military operations, Katz explicitly referenced Israel’s previous botched attack against senior Palestinian political negotiators hosted in Doha, Qatar.
Admitting that the targeted leaders had survived due to what he termed a “technical malfunction,” Katz threatened a repeat assault, stating, “The next time will come, and they too will be sent to the depths of hell”.
Katz’s open threats to launch military strikes on Qatari soil represent a grave violation of international law and a direct assault on the regional diplomatic framework. Qatar has long served as a key neutral mediator alongside regional partners to facilitate negotiations, hold ceasefire talks, and secure hostage-prisoner exchanges. By threatening to assassinate the very political delegation negotiating peace in Doha, the Israeli regime is signaling its complete disregard for sovereign boundaries and its intent to derail any diplomatic path toward a lasting ceasefire.
These provocative declarations come amidst an intensifying Israeli assassination campaign across the region, which has recently claimed the lives of several military leaders, including North Gaza commander Mohannad Abu Foul, Khan Younis commander Mohammed al-Yazouri, and freed Palestinian prisoner Faraj Hamad. These targeted killings are occurring while Israel continues its systematic non-compliance with ceasefire terms, underscoring the state’s ongoing reliance on extrajudicial violence over genuine diplomacy.
