ISRAEL’S DEFENCE MINISTER has put the military on high alert before the anniversary of Hamas’s 7 October 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 7 October 2023 attack was the deadliest day in Israel’s history, resulting in the deaths of 1,221 people.

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

In response, Israel launched a genocidal campaign that has left most of Gaza in ruins and killed more than 74,200 people.

Since a “ceasefire” was declared last October, Israeli forces have killed more than 1,440 people in Gaza.

On Monday, during a state ceremony to mark three years since the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there would be “no Hamas rule in Gaza” and vowed to continue targeting anyone who was involved in the attack or who held hostages.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Monday called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza ahead of the third anniversary of the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.

“It is time for the ceasefire to become permanent. It is time to allow humanitarian assistance at scale. And it is time to respect international law,” Guterres said in a statement, calling for a “political path to lasting peace across the whole region.”

“Let this anniversary mark not only another year of mourning, but also a renewed determination to build a different future: one in which Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side in peace and security, with their rights, dignity, and aspirations fulfilled,” Guterres said.