Israel PM calls on Hamas terrorists to ‘surrender now’, claims group has ‘lost control’ of Gaza

Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised address in Hebrew on Sunday, more than two months after the war began, that it was the “beginning of the end” for Hamas as Israel closed in on its leader in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar.

“The war is still ongoing but it is the beginning of the end of Hamas,” Mr Netanyahu said.

“I say to the Hamas terrorists — it’s over. Don’t die for Sinwar. Surrender now. In the past few days, dozens of Hamas terrorists have surrendered to our forces. They are laying down their weapons and handing themselves over to our heroic fighters.”

The military has, however, not released proof of militants surrendering, and Hamas has rejected such claims.

Almost one month ago, Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said Hamas had “lost control” of Gaza.

Hamas triggered the conflict with the deadliest-ever attack on Israel on October 7 in which it killed around 1200 people, according to Israeli figures, and dragged around 240 hostages back to Gaza.

Israel has responded with a relentless military offensive that has reduced much of Gaza to rubble and killed around 18,000 people, mostly women and children, according Hamas.

New video circulating online shows footage showing dozens of detainees stripped to their underwear, hands in the air. Several held assault rifles or identification cards above their heads, and one man walked forward and placed a gun on the ground.

While Israel has not commented on the latest video, Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy said that “increasing numbers” of Hamas fighters were surrendering.

Similar videos of man stripped to their underwear being rounded up by Israeli troops began circulating online on Thursday, sparking outrage in the Arab world.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has not commented on the origin of the footage, but senior officials have spoken out against its release.

Tzachi Hanegbi, head of Israel’s National Security Council, said in a radio interview that releasing such images “doesn’t serve anything”.

“I think you won’t be seeing images like this in the future,” he told Kan radio, The Times of Israel reported.

He said that requiring those surrendering to strip was necessary for security reasons so “that we can see they don’t have explosive vests … and I hope that we see many such photos of people surrendering without a fight and giving up their weapons, they’ll be checked as needed”.

“But after that will get dressed and that’s how they will be taken — they don’t need to be taken in the way we saw in the first photos,” he said.

Heavy fighting raged Sunday across Gaza, including in the devastated north, as Israel pressed ahead with its offensive after the US blocked the latest international push for a ceasefire and rushed more munitions to its close ally.

Military officials claimed Hamas fighters had been surrendering close to Gaza City in the heavily bombed Shajaiya and Jabaliya neighbourhoods.

Lt Gen Herzi Halevi told his troops on Saturday night that the Hamas network was beginning to collapse.

“We are seeing every day more and more terror operatives killed, more and more terror operatives wounded,” he said.

“And in recent days we’re seeing terrorists surrendering — a sign of the disintegration of the system, a sign that we need to push harder.”

Hamas operatives had also reportedly had lost contact with their leadership who have fled south, leaving its forces with no option but to capitulate to the IDF.

It comes after Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said he “sees signs indicating a breakdown is beginning inside Gaza”.

The Institute for the Study of War reinforced his claims, stating that seven terror cells had already surrendered and six of Hamas’ northern battalions are “close to collapse”.

Hamas alleged that all the men seen in the leaked videos were unarmed, innocent civilians, however Israel has said it will interrogate all those who surrender to troops with potential links to Hamas.

Meanwhile, IDF said its troops were closing in on the terror group’s leaders and vowed to kill its number one target, dubbed “Gaza’s bin Laden”, who is believed to be holed up in the southern city of Khan Younis.

Israeli tanks on Sunday battled their way into the heart of Khan Younis in a major new push.

Last Wednesday, Mr Netanyahu said the IDF surrounded Sinwar’s house, but that he wasn’t there.

“He can run and hide but we will get him,” he said.

Sinwar, 61, is understood to be the “mastermind” behind the October 7 attacks.

In an interview with The Sun, IDF spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner said Sinwar was “at the top” of their “kill list”.

“He is the person that financed [October 7], organised it, planned it, and gave the green light to go and kill and butcher, massacre, abduct, rape and behead Israelis,” he said.

“He’s at the top of our list. We intend on catching up with him and killing him in action.”

He vowed to root out every last terrorist and claimed that Sinwar and henchmen are hiding like “cowards” underneath Gaza using civilians as human shields.

It comes as a senior defence official has claimed that the Israeli military needs at least another two months to complete the first stage of its war against Hamas.

However, official sources in Washington said that US President Joe Biden has given Israel only until the end of the year to wrap up its devastating offensive inside war-torn Gaza.

On Sunday, the IDF claimed to have struck 22,000 Hamas targets in Gaza since the star of the war, and 3500 since the end of their temporary truce with the terror group.

On Friday night, the US vetoed a United Nations resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, where Palestinians are facing what the UN chief described as a “humanitarian nightmare”.

UN officials have urgently warned the conditions are “hell on earth” with the majority of its 2.3 million population unable to access food, water or medicine.

— with AFP, The Sun and Fox News