Operation to find and kill Al-Qassam Brigades leader will take long time: Israeli army

Israel's operation to find and kill Hamas' armed wing leader Muhammed al-Dayf will take a "long time," said an Israeli army spokesperson.

In a press conference, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari stressed the need to find and kill Al-Qassam Brigades leader Dayf, stating that no matter how long it takes, it must be accomplished but that it will take considerable time, Yedioth Ahronoth daily reported.

Since Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel, Tel Aviv has stressed its goal to eliminate the Palestinian group Hamas, but most international analysts have voiced skepticism that it could ever do so.

Hagari also said the Israeli army completed its demolition of an underground infrastructure beneath Al-Rantisi Hospital in northern Gaza City, alleging the discovery of "several kilometers" of such infrastructure.

Israel launched a massive military campaign on the Gaza Strip following the cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, killing at least 21,110 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 55,243 others, according to local health authorities.

The onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with 60% of the enclave's infrastructure damaged or destroyed and nearly 2 million people displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicines.

Around 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.