Israel puts military on alert for Oct 7 anniversary, warns Gazans

Israel's defence minister on Tuesday said he had put the military on high alert before the anniversary of Hamas's October 7, 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.