The Israeli army, on Saturday (Jan 6) said that it had “completed the dismantling” of the Palestinian militant group Hamas’ command structure in northern Gaza and that the war will continue this year. The statement was made as the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza will enter its fourth month on Sunday (Jan 7) amid heightened concerns that the conflict is spilling over in the region.
Hamas’ ‘command centre’ in northern Gaza
“We have completed the dismantling of the Hamas military framework in the northern Gaza Strip,” Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in an online briefing, adding that the Israeli forces killed around 8,000 militants in that area.
“We are now focused on dismantling Hamas in the centre of and south of the (Gaza) strip,” Hagari added. According to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) official, Palestinian militants will now be operating in the area only sporadically and “without commanders”.
“Fighting will continue during 2024. We are operating according to a plan to achieve the war’s goals, to dismantle Hamas in the north and south,” he added.
Israel launched retaliatory attacks against Hamas in Gaza after Palestinian militants from the strip attacked Israel on October 7 killing at least 1,200 people and taking around 240 hostages, according to Israeli officials. More than 100 hostages are still believed to be held by Hamas.
Meanwhile, at least 22,722 people have been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, amid Israel’s constant bombardment and ground operation in the Palestinian enclave according to the Hamas-run Palestinian health ministry.
Speaking about the military efforts to dismantle Hamas in central and southern Gaza, Hagari said “we will do it in a different way” without elaborating. Israel has garnered criticism from various countries amid the mounting death toll and deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza.
The fighting has displaced most of Gaza’s 2.3 million population, with many homes and civilian infrastructure left in ruins amid acute shortages of food, water and medicine.
Hagari also claimed that “refugee camps in the central Gaza Strip are crowded and full of terrorists”. He added that Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, has an elaborate underground network of tunnels and “it will take time.”
‘Eliminate Hamas’
Earlier on Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would continue its campaign to “eliminate Hamas, return our hostages and ensure that Gaza will no longer be a threat to Israel”.
He added, “The war must not be stopped until we achieve all of the goals.”
This comes as Netanyahu’s government continues to face mass protests with demonstrators calling for the return of Israeli hostages in Gaza, the dissolution of the Israeli parliament and the holding of an early election reported Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
(With inputs from agencies)
Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.
