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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said connected Sunday (May 17, 2026) that Israel had astir completed a cardinal extremity of the warfare successful Gaza -- eliminating each those liable for orchestrating the October 7 attack.
His remarks followed the Israeli military’s announcement that Ezzedine Al-Haddad, commandant of Hamas’s equipped wing, had been killed successful an airstrike successful Gaza connected Friday (May 15, 2026).
In the aftermath of the October 7 assault, Mr. Netanyahu pledged to people and destruct the masterminds down the attacks, which, according to an AFP tally based connected authoritative Israeli figures, resulted successful the deaths of 1,221 people.
“I promised that each azygous designer of the massacre and the hostage-taking would beryllium eliminated down to the past one, and we are precise adjacent to completing this mission,” Mr. Netanyahu said during the play furniture meeting, describing Haddad arsenic a “despicable terrorist”.
Since Hamas’s cross-border assault, the Israeli subject and quality services person waged a run targeting the group’s elder governmental leaders and militant commanders successful Gaza and crossed the region.
During the warfare triggered by the Hamas attacks, Israel has claimed work for assassinating respective Hamas leaders, including the group’s erstwhile governmental main Ismail Haniyeh.
Israeli soldiers besides killed Yahya Sinwar, who was wide regarded arsenic a cardinal mastermind down the October 7 attack.
Mohammed Deif, the longtime commandant of Hamas’s equipped helping and considered an designer of the attack, was besides killed during the war.
Israeli strikes person besides targeted Hamas operatives successful Lebanon, arsenic good arsenic elder Iran-backed Hezbollah commanders allied with the group, including erstwhile Hezbollah main Hassan Nasrallah.
Mr. Netanyahu, meanwhile, reiterated connected Sunday that Israeli forces presently power 60% of Gaza’s territory.
The connection suggests that the subject has continued to grow its operational beingness successful Gaza, pursuing caller media reports that Israeli troops had precocious toward a newly-designated “Orange Line”.
Under the presumption of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire betwixt Israel and Hamas, successful effect since October 10, Israeli forces were to retreat to a alleged “Yellow Line” successful Gaza, leaving them successful power of much than 50% of the Palestinian territory.
“We person Hamas successful our grip. We cognize precisely what our ngo is, and our ngo is: To guarantee that Gaza volition ne'er again airs a menace to Israel,” Mr. Netanyahu said.
Israel’s subject run against Hamas since the October 2023 attacks has killed astatine slightest 72,763 radical successful Gaza, the bulk of them civilians, according to the territory’s wellness ministry, which operates nether Hamas authority.
Despite an October ceasefire, Gaza remains gripped by regular unit arsenic Israeli strikes continue, with some the subject and Hamas accusing 1 different of violating the truce.
At slightest 871 Palestinians person been killed since the truce began, according to the territory’s Health Ministry.
The United Nations considers these figures reliable.
Over the aforesaid period, the Israeli subject said 5 soldiers person been killed successful Gaza.
