TEL AVIV, January 21. /TASS/. In the almost 15 months of its military operation in the Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has killed around 20,000 armed members of Palestine’s radical movement Hamas, Chief of the IDF General Staff Herzi Halevi said.
"Hamas’ military wing has been severely damaged. Most of the organization’s leadership has been killed, including its head Yahya Sinwar, as well as senior figures in its military wing, including its head Mohammed Deif. The IDF has eliminated nearly 20,000 Hamas terrorist operatives," Halevi said in a statement, released a few hours after news of his resignation was made public.
He also said that during its operation against Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement, the IDF has elliminated almost 4,000 of its members, including its head Hassan Nasrallah. In his words, the IDF has also eliminated 794 Palestinian radicals during its raids in the West Bank.
Halevi announced his resignation on Tuesday, naming March 6 as his final day in office. He said that over the remaining period, he planned to complete an internal investigation into Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel and to take measures aimed at boosting the country’s defense capabilities.
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 240 Israelis, including women, children and the elderly. Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and launched bombardments of the enclave.
Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said late on January 15 that thanks to the mediatory efforts of Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, Israel and Hamas had reached an agreement on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages held in the enclave. During the first 42-day phase of the deal, Hamas will release 33 hostages in exchange for Israel freeing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. The agreement came into effect on January 19.