TEL AVIV, December 11. /TASS/. The Hamas structure in the Gaza Strip is on the verge of complete collapse, with many of its militants surrendering, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said.

"We are fighting our way forward, making more progress. We have surrounded Hamas’ last strongholds in Jabalia and al-Shujai’ya. Battalions previously thought to be invincible and which have been training to fight us for years, are on the brink of dissolution," he said.

According to Gallant, many Palestinian radicals have been surrendering in the Gaza Strip recently. "The number of those yielding themselves prisoner there shows what is going on," he said, adding that some of those surrendering took part in the October 7 attack on Israel.

He once again stressed that armed units in the Gaza Strip, as well as Hamas leaders have only two options: either surrender or die. "I call on all battalions, their terrorists and commanders: surrender. If you do this, we will be able to save your lives, otherwise your death is inevitable," Gallant said. "The fate of Hamas chief [in the Gaza Strip] Yahya Sinwar, like any other commander or terrorist is the same - either surrender or die. There is no other option."

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7 after militants from the Gaza Strip-based radical Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise incursion on Israeli territory, killing many Israeli kibbutz residents living near the Gaza border and abducting more than 200 Israelis, including women, children and the elderly. Hamas described its attack as a response to Israeli authorities’ aggressive actions against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and launched bombardments of the enclave and some areas in Lebanon and Syria, as well as a ground operation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Clashes are also reported in the West Bank.