Israeli Defense Forces say that the war will continue for “many more months.” The military chief says it is a long process to dismantle Hamas.

Israel’s top military commander has warned that the war in Gaza will most likely drag on for “many more months” because a long and determined fight will be required to completely destroy the Palestinian militant group Hamas and prevent it from quickly becoming a threat again. The war broke out on October 7th after Hamas attacked Israel and took hostages.

“There are no magic solutions,” Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi told reporters on Tuesday according to a report by RT. He added, “There are no shortcuts when it comes to thoroughly dismantling a terrorist organization, except being stubborn and determined in the fighting.”

Halevi’s comments came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that the war with Hamas was “not close to being over.” Netanyahu reiterated that Hamas must be destroyed before the fighting can stop, adding that Gaza must be “demilitarized” and Palestinian society “deradicalized” to create conditions for a lasting peace.

Halevi said the IDF is expanding its operations in central and southern Gaza after dismantling most of the Hamas battalions in the northern part of the Palestinian enclave. “We eliminated many terrorists and commanders,” he said. “Some of them surrendered to our forces, and we took hundreds of prisoners. We destroyed many underground infrastructures and weapons.” –RT

“This war has necessary and not easy goals to achieve,” he said. “It takes place in complex territory. That’s why the war will continue for many more months, and we will work with different methods so that the achievement will be maintained for a long time.”

Close to 21,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began on October 7th, according to numbers from local health officials. Hamas triggered the conflict by launching surprise attacks on southern Israel, killing more than 1,100 people including almost 700 Israeli civilians and 71 foreigners, as well as taking hundreds of hostages.