TEL AVIV, November 20. /TASS/. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will transition to a new stage in their operation after the conclusion of fighting in the northern Gaza Strip, reserve IDF spokesman Jonathan Conricus said.

"The next stage of the fighting will be to finish up what is left of Hamas in northern Gaza, which isn’t easy business, it shouldn’t be looked as if we’re brushing aside. There is still significant fighting ongoing in northern Gaza. But that will be finished hopefully sooner rather than later, and, hopefully, without additional Israeli casualties," he said on the air of the non-governmental educational organization StandWithUs.

"Once that is done, then, of course, we will have to go on to the next stage of fighting because the overall aim is to dismantle all of Hamas infrastructure. We never limited ourselves to geographical area, we simply said that we are going to fight first in the northern part of Gaza," he added.

"The overall aim of the war remains the same: we are going to return security to the State of Israel by dismantling all Hamas military infrastructure by killing their seniors by either having them surrender or die inside their tunnels. It’s very simple," he said.

"I won’t get ahead of ourselves, I won’t say when and where and what we’re going to do, but the aim of the operation remains the same. The IDF is very focused on getting that done. The Chief of Staff Lieutenant General [Herzl] Halevi approved plans today for the next stage of operations. The IDF is ready, capable and eager to continue to implement our mission," Conricus pointed out.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7 when Hamas militants staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking hostages, including women, children and the elderly. Hamas described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. Israel has announced a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and has been delivering air strikes on Gaza as well as some parts of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also underway in the West Bank.