Jerusalem, Nov 8 (IANS): Israeli ground forces were "in the heart of Gaza City", Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said.

"We are in the heart of Gaza City," Gallant told a press conference on Tuesday, adding the conflict "cannot be stopped" until Gaza's Hamas rulers were "eliminated".

He also added that after the conflict ended, Israel would maintain security control over Gaza to monitor and act against security threats and to "thwart anyone who might harm us".

On October 7, Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, firing thousands of rockets and infiltrating Israeli territory, while Israel responded with airstrikes, ground operations and punitive measures that included a siege on the Gaza Strip, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Israel-Hamas conflict has so far killed 10,328 Palestinians in Gaza.

On the Israeli side, more than 1,400 people lost their lives, the vast majority in the Hamas military attacks on Israel on October 7.