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IDF Has Killed or Wounded 60% of Hamas Terrorists in Gaza, Israeli Defense Chief Says
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant attends a joint press conference with German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (not pictured) in Berlin, Germany, Sept. 28, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has killed or wounded 60 percent of Hamas fighters during its ongoing military campaign against the Palestinian terrorist group in Gaza, according to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Speaking on Wednesday to lawmakers at the Knesset, the name of Israel’s parliament, Gallant also revealed that Israeli forces have eliminated most of Hamas’ 24 battalions.
“The action of the IDF that has so far led to the elimination of over 14,000 terrorists and the collapse of the military frameworks of Hamas is, in fact, the testimony of what I am saying,” he said. “Everything will be done in accordance with the law and in accordance with the operational need.”
Gallant also described how anyone who participated in Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel will be held accountable.
“There is no refuge and no safe place for those who took part in the massacre against Israeli citizens; we will bring him to justice,” he said. “Eventually, we will reach them all.”
Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists launched the ongoing war on Oct. 7 by invading southern Israel, murdering 1,200 people, and kidnapping about 250 others as hostages. Mounting evidence has revealed that the terrorists also systematically perpetrated rampant sexual violence, including gang-rape and torture, against the Israeli people during the onslaught.
Israel responded with a military campaign in neighboring Gaza, which is ruled by Hamas, aimed at freeing the hostages and dismantling the terrorist group’s military and governing capabilities.
“There are only two options for these people: prison or the graveyard,” Gallant said of those involved in the Oct. 7 atrocities, according to Israeli media reports.
“IDF soldiers have been working tirelessly for nine months in the most just war we have known throughout our existence,” the defense chief added. “IDF soldiers fought courageously and stopped them during the first days, and then moved the war to enemy territory with a powerful attack.”
However, Gallant noted the importance of maintaining international support during the war.
“We have returned half of the hostages and we are determined to return the rest,” he said. “The security establishment is determined to achieve the goals of the war. In order for us to be able to do these things, it is appropriate that we preserve our support on the battlefield.”
Beyond answering questions from Israeli lawmakers, Gallant also met with US Middle East envoy Brett McGurk.
“The two discussed the importance of seizing the opportunity created to achieve an agreement for the return of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza,” the defense ministry said in a statement about the meeting, which took place on Tuesday evening.
“They discussed the challenges that remain in achieving such an agreement, as well as possible solutions to address them,” the ministry said.
According to the statement, Gallant also said that while Israel supports the opening of the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza, the Jewish state will not tolerate the return of Hamas to the area.
Reuters contributed to this report.
The post IDF Has Killed or Wounded 60% of Hamas Terrorists in Gaza, Israeli Defense Chief Says first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.