JERUSALEM, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Israel has ordered its military to hunt down and kill the remaining participants in the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, Defense Minister Israel Katz said Monday, putting their number at 2,000.
Katz said about 6,000 attackers crossed the border into Israel on that day, adding that 4,000 of them had already been killed and that he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had ordered the military to pursue the rest.
"We ordered the military to pursue and kill them all, from the most senior to the most junior," Katz said.
Separately, speaking on Monday at a state memorial ceremony at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said Israel will continue pursuing those who carried out the attack and held hostages, and to end Hamas' rule in Gaza.
The Hamas-led attack killed about 1,200 people in Israel. It triggered the massive Israeli military operations across Gaza that have killed more than 74,200 people, according to Gaza's health authorities.
Israel has killed much of Hamas' senior leadership during its three-year military operations in Gaza, including Yahya Sinwar and his younger brother Mohammad Sinwar. ■
