Israel's war on Hamas in Gaza will likely go on for many months, the country's military chief has said.
In a televised statement on the Gaza border on Tuesday, Chief of the General Staff Herzi Halevi said: "The war will go on for many months and we will employ different methods to maintain our achievements for a long time.
"There are no magic solutions, there are no shortcuts in dismantling a terrorist organisation, only determined and persistent fighting.
"We will reach Hamas' leadership too, whether it takes a week or if it takes months."
Israel vowed to annihilate Hamas after its fighters burst into Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 240 hostages.
Its air, sea and ground offensive in Gaza has since killed nearly 21,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Strip's Hamas-run authorities, which does not differentiate between civilian and militant deaths.
Hamas officials say 241 people have been killed in the last 24 hours
Mr Halevi went on: "We said from its first moments that this would be a long war because it was right to set far-reaching goals and we will reach far, that's why the duration will be long," before adding that the duration will allow the military to adapt its methods.
"Ultimately, will we be able to say that there is no enemy surrounding the state of Israel? I think that's too ambitious, but we will create a new security situation," said Mr Halevi.
It comes as Israel reportedly bombarded three refugee camps in central Gaza.
Locals from the Nuseirat, Maghazi and Bureij camps described a night of shelling and air strikes.
The camps are built-up towns housing Palestinians who were driven from their homes during the 1948 war and their descendants - and now also crowded with people who have fled from the north.
