Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his country is nearing its goal of taking out the military capabilities of Hamas, the Islamist group that governs Gaza and led the October 7 assault on Israel that sparked the war.
Less intense operations would continue, he said.
Earlier on Monday, the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad fired a barrage of rockets into Israel as fighting raged in Gaza and Israeli tanks advanced deeper into parts of the enclave, residents and officials said.
The war began when Hamas-led fighters burst into southern Israel on October 7, killed some 1,200 people, and took around 250 hostages, mostly civilians, back into Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.
The offensive launched by Israel in retaliation has killed nearly 38,000 people, according to the Gaza health ministry, and has left the heavily built-up coastal enclave in ruins.
Arab mediators’ efforts to secure a ceasefire, backed by the United States, have stalled.
Hamas says any deal must end the war and bring a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Israel says it will accept only temporary pauses in the fighting until Hamas is eradicated.
“We are advancing to the end of the phase of eliminating the terrorist army of Hamas, and there will be a continuation to strike its remnants,” Netanyahu said.
Earlier on Monday, the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad fired a barrage of rockets into Israel as fighting raged in Gaza and Israeli tanks advanced deeper into parts of the enclave, residents and officials said.
The war began when Hamas-led fighters burst into southern Israel on October 7, killed some 1,200 people, and took around 250 hostages, mostly civilians, back into Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.
The offensive launched by Israel in retaliation has killed nearly 38,000 people, according to the Gaza health ministry, and has left the heavily built-up coastal enclave in ruins.
Arab mediators’ efforts to secure a ceasefire, backed by the United States, have stalled.
Hamas says any deal must end the war and bring a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Israel says it will accept only temporary pauses in the fighting until Hamas is eradicated.
“We are advancing to the end of the phase of eliminating the terrorist army of Hamas, and there will be a continuation to strike its remnants,” Netanyahu said.
Source: Reuters
