Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told visiting White House national security advisor Jake Sullivan on Thursday that it will take several months to defeat Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
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Gallant said that for over a decade, Hamas has been building its "infrastructure under the ground and above the ground" and that to destroy the Islamist group "it will require a long period of time – it will last more than several months, but we will win and we will destroy them."
The two also discussed the need to return Israelis to their homes near the border with Lebanon after tens of thousands of people were displaced due to fighting with Iran-backed Hezbollah, according to a statement from Gallant's office.
Video: Defense Minister Yoav Gallant with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan / Credit: Reuters
"We are continuing until the end, there is no question," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late Wednesday. "I say this even given the great pain and the international pressure. Nothing will stop us."
An ambush took place Tuesday in the dense neighborhood of Shijaiyah, which was also the scene of a major battle during the 2014 war between Israel and Hamas, led to the death of 10 soldiers. The dead included two high-ranking officers. A total of 116 soldiers have been killed in the ground offensive, which began Oct. 27.
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