Israel says it has ‘completed the dismantling’ of the Hamas command structure in northern Gaza.
Army spokesman Daniel Hagari said militants were operating in the area only sporadically and ‘without a framework and without commanders’.
He said the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) were now moving their focus to central and southern Gaza.
Israel’s offensive started after Hamas gunmen launched a surprise attack across the border on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 240 hostage.
Smoke and flame rises from different parts of Salah al-Din Road following Israeli attacks in Deir Al Balah, Gaza on January 7, 2024
A view of damaged building as the historical buildings such as mosques, churches, baths and bazaars are damaged or destroyed by Israeli attacks in Gaza City, Gaza on January 6, 2024
While Israel says it has now accomplished its aims in northern Gaza, it has been criticised for the tactics – including heavy bombardment of civilian areas – it has employed.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza claims more than 22,000 people have perished.
Israel yesterday said it had killed around 8,000 ‘militants’ in north Gaza.
Most of Gaza’s population of 2.3million has been displaced during the conflict, and Mr Hagari said troops will act differently as they move their focus southwards.
He said ‘lessons have been learned’, but would not elaborate on what this meant.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu meanwhile said his nation would continue on its path to ‘eliminate Hamas, return our hostages and ensure that Gaza will no longer be a threat to Israel’.
He added: ‘We have to put everything aside… until the complete victory is achieved.’
(FILES) Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari speaks to the press from The Kirya, which houses the Israeli Ministry of Defence in Tel Aviv on October 18, 2023
An Israeli soldier exits a tunnel that Hamas reportedly used on October 7 to attack Israel through the Erez border crossing on January 07, 2024 in Northern Gaza