"So far, we have eliminated over 10,000 terrorists, including many commanders. This is what dismantling Hamas means. Our military achievements, as I previously mentioned, are very high, but there is still a long way to go before we can achieve the war's objectives. We need to eliminate the senior leadership, eliminate more of the enemy's commanders and operatives, return civilians to their homes safely, and bring the hostages home — a supreme mission and moral obligation," Halevi said in a statement published by the IDF on Telegram.
The IDF continues to operate "wherever terrorism exists" and does not intend to stop, Halevi added.
"We have more work to complete — in areas we have yet to reach and also in those we have already operated. We have plans, and we will choose the right time to carry them out and, of course, the right way to do so," he said.
On February 5, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the IDF had destroyed 18 out of Hamas' 24 battalions.
On October 7, 2023, Palestinian movement Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel and breached the border, attacking both civilian neighborhoods and military bases. As a result, over 1,200 people in Israel were killed and some 240 others abducted. Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza, and started a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages. Over 28,400 people have been killed so far in the Gaza Strip, local authorities said.
On November 24, Qatar mediated a deal between Israel and Hamas on a temporary truce and the exchange of some of the prisoners and hostages, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire was extended several times and expired on December 1. More than 100 hostages are still believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza.