Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday called on the terror outfit to ‘surrender’ or made it clear that ‘it is the beginning of the end for Hamas.’

Tel Aviv: As the war between Israel and Hamas intensifies every day, with the Israel Defence Force relentlessly pursuing attacks on the terrorists, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on the 66th day of the ongoing conflict, called on the terror outfit to ‘surrender’ or made it clear that ‘it is the beginning of the end for Hamas.’ The Israeli Prime Minister’s straightforward warning comes as several Hamas terrorists have surrendered to the IDF. In a video shared by the Israel Prime Minister’s Office, PM Netanyahu urged terrorists not to sacrifice their lives for Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader in Gaza.

“In the past few days, dozens of Hamas terrorists have surrendered to our forces. They are laying down their weapons and turning themselves into our heroic soldiers. This will take time. The war is still ongoing but it is the beginning of the end of Hamas. I say to the Hamas terrorists: It’s over. Don’t die for Sinwar. Surrender – now!,” PM Netanyahu said.

Meanwhile, Israel Defence Forces spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari informed that the an army troop has discovered an enormous tunnel network below Palestine Square in Gaza City, The Times of Israel reported.

Hagari mentioned that the forces from the 401st Armoured Brigade, the Navy’s Shayetet 13 commando unit, and the Air Force’s Shaldag unit have successfully taken control of the Palestine Square area. He added that, with the aid of “accurate intelligence,” the troops discovered a network of “strategic tunnels” in the region, connecting to Shifa Hospital according to his assessment.

Hagari said, “The Palestine Square area houses Yahya Sinwar’s office, government offices, assets of senior Hamas officials, and there is a network of terror tunnels,” The Times of Israel reported.

He noted, “This is the area of the main command center, where senior Hamas members were on October 7 and during the fighting, and during the fighting, they moved to other areas.” He said the troops are continuing to probe the tunnel network in the area.

Meanwhile, the IDF announced the killing of the new commander of Hamas’ Shejaiya battalion, Emad Qariqa, in an airstrike in the Gaza Strip on Saturday. Qariqa had replaced Wissam Farhat, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on December 2. According to the IDF, Qariqa had previously served as the deputy commander of the Shejaiya battalion.

Additionally, on Saturday, the IDF reported the death of a soldier who was injured in northern Gaza on Friday. This brings the total number of slain soldiers in the ground offensive against Hamas to 98, according to The Times of Israel.

The soldier has been identified as Lt Nethanel Menachem Eitan (22), a cadet in the Bahad 1 officers school’s Gefen Battalion and a soldier in the Air Force’s Unit 669. The IDF also stated that five other soldiers were seriously injured during the fighting in Gaza on Saturday.