Netanyahu says two-thirds of Hamas’ fighting forces have been eliminated

close Video

Families of Israeli hostages urge action to get loved ones home in bipartisan Senate press conference

Sens. Schumer and Cardin host bipartisan press conference with Israeli families of hostages taken by Hamas.

Read this article for free! Plus get unlimited access to thousands of articles, videos and more with your free account! Please enter a valid email address. By entering your email, you are agreeing to Fox News Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, which includes our Notice of Financial Incentive. To access the content, check your email and follow the instructions provided.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that two-thirds of Hamas’s fighting forces have been eliminated in the Gaza Strip. 

Netanyahu said during a news conference in Tel Aviv Thursday that “There are two stages to the fighting; The first is destroying the Hamas regiments, those are their organized combat frameworks,” according to Reuters. 

“Up until now sixteen or seventeen out of twenty four have been destroyed. After that there is the [stage] of clearing the territory [of militants],” he reportedly continued. “The first action is usually shorter, the second usually takes longer.” 

Netanyahu also said “Victory will take many more months but we are determined to achieve it,” Reuters reports. 

FAMILY OF YOUNGEST HAMAS HOSTAGE ‘NOT GIVING UP’ HOPE AS BOY MARKS FIRST BIRTHDAY IN CAPTIVITY 

Israeli soldiers on a tank overlook the Gaza Strip on Friday, Jan. 19. (AP/Maya Alleruzzo)

Yesterday, U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters during a briefing that “The conflict in Gaza is going to end. It will end.” 

When pressed about a timeline, Miller said “I am not going to make predictions about it. 

“But we do believe that this conflict as all conflicts do will end at some point and that there needs to be a political path forward for the establishment of a Palestinian state,” he added. 

IDF RELEASES VIDEO, PHOTOS OF RAID UNCOVERING HAMAS TRAINING AREA IN SOUTHERN GAZA 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Thursday, Jan. 18. (GPO/Reuters)

One of the Hamas officials taken out by the Israel Defense Forces this week was Bilal Nofal, who was “in charge of investigating suspects of espionage” against the terrorist group in the Gaza Strip. 

The IDF said in a statement Wednesday that Israel’s Shin Bet intelligence agency helped coordinate the elimination of Nofal, and the operation was conducted using an Air Force plane.  

An Israeli army tank moves near the Israeli-Gaza border in southern Israel on Wednesday, Jan. 17. (AP/Ohad Zwigenberg)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

“Nofal took part in the development of the organization’s research and learning methods,” the IDF said. “His elimination constitutes an injury to the terrorist organization’s learning and strengthening capabilities.” 

Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.