Israel says Hamas command structure in northern Gaza wiped out as Benjamin Netanyahu vows to eliminate terror group and rescue its hostages

Israel says it has “completed” the dismantling of the Hamas command structure in northern Gaza.

Army spokesman Daniel Hagari said militants operated only sporadically and “without cadre and without commanders” in the area.

He said the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are now shifting their attention to central and southern Gaza.

The Israeli offensive began after Hamas gunmen launched a surprise attack across the border on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 240 hostage.

A view of damaged buildings while the historic buildings such as mosques, churches, baths and bazaars are damaged or destroyed by Israeli attacks in Gaza City, Gaza on January 6, 2024

Although Israel says it has now achieved its objectives in northern Gaza, it has been criticized for the tactics it has used – including heavy bombing of civilian areas.

The Hamas-led Health Ministry in Gaza claims more than 22,000 people have been killed.

Israel said yesterday it had killed about 8,000 “militants” in northern Gaza.

Most of Gaza's 2.3 million residents have been displaced during the conflict, and Hagari said troops will behave differently as they shift their focus south.

He said “lessons have been learned,” but declined to elaborate on what this meant.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, said his country would continue on its path to “eliminate Hamas, return our hostages and ensure that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel.”

He added: “We must put everything aside… until complete victory is achieved.”

(FILES) Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari addresses the press on October 18, 2023 from The Kirya, where the Israeli Ministry of Defense is based in Tel Aviv

An Israeli soldier exits a tunnel that Hamas reportedly used to attack Israel through the Erez border crossing on January 7, 2024 in northern Gaza