PM: Israel destroys 80% of Hamas battalions

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel destroyed 80 per cent of Hamas commanded battalions.

He cited these figures in an address to the government six months after the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas, Gazeta.ru reports.

Netanyahu noted that 19 out of 24 Hamas battalions have been destroyed.

April 7 marks six months since Hamas October 7 attacks, which killed more than 1,100 people and triggered the war in Gaza. 

More than 33,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's ongoing military offensive, according to Gaza's health ministry. 

In Israel, thousands marked the anniversary on the streets of Tel Aviv, calling for immediate elections and the hostages' release.

After a round of releases during a November ceasefire, Hamas still holds about 100 hostages, along with the bodies of about 30 others. 

A Hamas delegation will arrive in Cairo on April 7 for ceasefire talks. 

Weeks of mediation by the US, Egypt and Qatar have so far been unable to make a breakthrough, but there is international pressure for a halt in the war.

Israel has also said it is determined to expand its offensive to Rafah with the aim of uprooting Hamas from what it says is its last stronghold. 

That has raised alarm over a possible dramatic increase in casualties and an escalation in the conflict.