OREANDA-NEWS The war against the Palestinian radical movement Hamas has entered the third stage, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting.

"The first stage - blocking - is completed. The second stage is the shelling of them from the air, it continues all the time. The third stage is the Israel Defense Forces expanding its ground invasion of the Gaza Strip. She is doing this with measured, very powerful steps, achieving methodical, step-by-step progress," Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting, according to the account of the prime minister's office in the social network X.

The Israeli leader said: "We are in the midst of a war. We have set ourselves a clear goal to destroy the military and managerial potential of Hamas. We do it systematically."

The Head of State said that Israel continues its efforts to free the hostages, and stressed that this campaign will take time.

Nevertheless, according to him, "there will be pitfalls, there will be difficulties, there will be losses."

"But I promise you one thing: in the end, Hamas will be defeated. Hamas will be defeated; it will be another Gaza," Netanyahu added.