File Photo: Defense Minister Yoav Gallant meets troops on the Gaza border, October 10, 2023. Photo courtesy of Israel Defense Ministry
Yoav Gallant stepped up the war of words as he spoke with forces gathered for an expected ground invasion of the Palestinian territory.
"It will take one month, two months, three months, and at the end there will be no more Hamas," Gallant said at an air force base whose location was not given by the defence ministry.
"Before Hamas makes contact with our tanks and our infantry, they will know the shells from our air force."
He added that Israel's fighter jets "know how to make this precise, qualitative and mortal".
"This should be the last war in Gaza, for the simple reason that there will be no more Hamas," Gallant said.
Israel, which has repeatedly vowed to eradicate the Palestinian movement, claimed its air raids target Hamas commanders and infrastructure in the war that killed over 4,600 Palestinians, including including 1,873 children.
The Hamas attacks across the border were the worst suffered by Israel, leaving some 1,400 dead.
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