"The majority of Hamas brigades and battalions were defeated in Gaza <...> in the past 11 months. Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif was killed, along with others on a long list of high-ranking terrorists," he noted, as cited by the Israeli Defense Ministry.
According to Gallant, "the military achievements" of the Israeli army in Gaza have allowed the residents of most of the previously evacuated areas in southern Israel to return home. The military achievements also made it possible to bring a large number of hostages back from Gaza, he added.
As for the northern front, where confrontation continues with the Lebanon-based Hezbollah movement, the army’s mission is "to make sure that residents of the northern areas can safely return home," Gallant went on to say. "In order to achieve this goal, we must expand the goals of the war to include the safe return of Israel’s northern residents to their homes," the defense chief stressed. He pointed out, however, that it would not reduce the Israeli military’s commitment to "eliminating Hamas and returning the hostages."
On August 28, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described ensuring the safe return of local residents to Israel’s north as a priority goal.
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