"Israeli" Defense Minister Israel Katz
Katz: "Gates of hell" will open if captives are not released
"Israeli" Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that he has agreed with US counterpart Pete Hegseth on the necessity of releasing all captives and ending Hamas' rule in the Gaza Strip.
Katz shared the details of his discussion with Hegseth on X (formerly Twitter), calling the conversation "excellent" and thanking the US administration under President Donald Trump for its support in expediting military aid to "Israel".
Great conversation with @SecDef @PeteHegseth. I thanked him for the @realDonaldTrump administration’s support in expediting military aid to Israel and its unwavering commitment to Israel’s security.
— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) March 4, 2025
We agreed: All hostages must be brought home, and Hamas rule in Gaza must be…
During the conversation, Katz emphasized the shared view that Iran remains the "greatest threat to regional security" and that both countries will work together to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Read more: Arab leaders meet in Cairo today for emergency summit on Gaza
On Saturday, the US Department of Defense, Pentagon, announced that the State Department had approved a potential sale of bombs, demolition equipment, and other weapons to "Israel", valued at approximately USD 3 billion.
The Pentagon confirmed that Congress was notified of the potential arms sale on Friday afternoon on an emergency basis.
This move marks the second such sale in a month, surpassing the longstanding practice of providing members of the House and Senate Foreign Affairs Committees the opportunity to review the deal and request additional information before Congress is officially informed.
The arms sale includes 35,529 general-purpose bombs weighing around 1,000 kilograms, along with 4,000 bunker-busting bombs of the same weight, produced by General Dynamics.



