“Hamas is far from being defeated, and if anyone thinks that there will be an alternative to its rule in the Gaza Strip, it simply won’t happen,” Gideon Sa’ar told Israel’s Army Radio on Tuesday.
Sa’ar’s comments come as Hamas resistance to the Israeli assault continues in all parts of the blockaded enclave, despite a three-month military campaign that has left more than 24,000 Palestinians dead, most of them women and children.
More than 100 days into the Israeli aggression against Gaza, the regime keeps pounding the besieged Palestinian territory with airstrikes and shelling.
The Palestinian movement has claimed its fighters have destroyed or disabled hundreds of Israeli military vehicles over the 100 days of war.
Abu Obaida, the spokesman for al-Qassam Brigades has also scoffed at Israel’s claims about alleged gains during its military onslaught on Gaza.
“The alleged achievements that the enemy announces about controlling or destroying what it calls weapons depots, ready-to-launch missile platforms, and kilometers of tunnels are ridiculous…and the day will come when we prove that these claims are false.”
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated on Monday that the “intensive manoeuvring stage” of Israel’s military offensive in northern and southern Gaza will “end soon”.
The Israeli military is working to “eliminate pockets of resistance” in northern Gaza, Gallant said, adding: “We will achieve this via raids, airstrikes, special operations and additional activities.”
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has announced one of its army divisions had exited the Gaza Strip on Monday night, in the most significant sign yet of a shift to a new phase of fighting that some Israeli officials have been promising.
The IDF said its 36th division, which comprises armored, engineering, and infantry companies, withdrew from the Gaza Strip after 80 days.
The brigade operated in the areas of Zeitun, Shati, Shejaiya, Rimal, and the Central Camps, the Israeli military added.
