TEL AVIV, August 2. /TASS/. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has announced the complete elimination of the Beit Hanoun battalion of the Gaza-based Palestinian group Hamas operating in the southern Gaza Strip.

According to the army press service, the last fighters from this key militant unit surrendered to the Israeli military on August 2. The unit represented a threat to the Israeli city of Sderot, the press service said.

On May 18, the IDF announced that it was launching military operations in the enclave’s northern and southern regions as part of its Gideon’s Chariots ground offensive aimed at defeating Hamas forces in Gaza and securing the release of all hostages. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that following the operation, the IDF plans to take control over the entire Gaza Strip.