Tel Aviv, Jan 16 : Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant claimed that the military has dismantled the Hamas militant group's entire military battalion framework in northern Gaza. In a statement late Monday, Gallant said that although the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) was reducing the intensity of its advances in northern Gaza, the military will continue to eliminate pockets of influence and resistance of the militant group. He also said that these pockets of resistance would be eliminated through raids, airstrikes, special operations and other focused activites to destroy the remaining terror operators acting on specific and precise intelligence. Gallant further said that the army will continue its intense operations in central and southern Gaza strip and added that operations will also be expanded to the Ramallah area as well. He said that IDF was destroying the military industry of Hamas in central Gaza where the militant outfit was engaged in the production of rockets, IEDs and other explosives. The Defense Minister noted that the army has made major progress in southern Gaza strip and was focusing on destroying the terror group's senior leadership who are supposedly holed up in the Khan Younis area. He also said that it was only because of the intense military action carried out by the IDF, that the terror organisation came the mediation table and added that once the fire power was stopped, the hostages would be forgotten by the world and they would remain in captivity. Gallant said that the 162nd Division of IDF will remain in northern Gaza, carrying out clean-up operations to locate Hamas's infrastructure and kill or capture its remaining operatives. While the 99th Division is operating in the central part of the besieged enclave, the 98th Division is fighting Hamas in the Khan Younis area of southern Gaza. /IANS