Hamas has ‘lost control of Gaza,’ says Israeli defense minister

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says Hamas has lost control of the Gaza Strip, as the IDF moves to fully capture Gaza City.

“There is no force of Hamas capable of stopping the IDF. The IDF is advancing to every point. The Hamas organization has lost control of Gaza. Terrorists are fleeing south. Civilians are looting Hamas bases. They have no confidence in the government,” says Gallant, after an assessment of the fighting.

He says Israeli forces are advancing “according to plans and carry out the tasks accurately, lethally.”

According to Gallant, the IDF has “intensified” activity against Hamas tunnels in recent days.

“We work according to tasks. We don’t have a stopwatch. We have goals. We will achieve our goals,” Gallant says, in reference to Foreign Minister Eli Cohen’s indication earlier that international pressure may force Israel to alter its actions in Gaza.