The Israel Gaza heavy price warning came on Tuesday, when Defence Minister Israel Katz said he had placed the military on high alert ahead of the third anniversary of Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack, warning that Hamas and Gaza's population would pay a heavy price if Israeli forces were harmed.

High alert over plots against troops

Katz's office said the high-alert instruction followed intelligence that Hamas intended to attempt attacks and terror operations against Israeli forces in Gaza on the anniversary. The statement set out what would happen if any soldier came to harm:

The October 7, 2023 attack

The attack three years ago was the deadliest day in Israel's history, and an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures recorded its cost:

• •1,221 people killed
• •251 hostages dragged into Gaza, 44 of them already dead

Gaza's toll since the ceasefire

Israel responded with a military offensive that has left most of Gaza in ruins and killed more than 74,200 people, according to Gaza's health ministry. The ministry operates under Hamas authority, and the United Nations considers its figures reliable. Since a ceasefire was declared last October, Israeli forces have killed more than 1,440 people in Gaza, the ministry says.

Netanyahu: no Hamas rule in Gaza

On Monday, at a state ceremony marking three years since the attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there would be:

He vowed to continue targeting anyone who was involved in the attack or who held hostages.

Israeli forces remain on high alert ahead of the anniversary, with Netanyahu vowing to keep targeting anyone involved in the attack or holding hostages.