Jerusalem, Jun 3 (IANS): Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has said that Israel is promoting a governing alternative to Hamas in the Palestinian enclave of the Gaza Strip.

During a visit to the Israeli army's Southern Command headquarters in the Negev desert city of Beer Sheba, Gallant noted on Sunday that in any process of ending the war, Israel would not allow Hamas to continue ruling Gaza.

"We will isolate areas, eliminate Hamas personnel, and bring in other forces that will establish a different governing body," he said as quoted by Xinhua news agency report.

The Minister added that "the operation in Rafah is progressing above and below ground, with the forces destroying the 'oxygen tube' that connects the Gaza Strip to Egypt," stressing that "we are suffocating Hamas, not allowing it to continue to exist or to reinforce, strengthen, and arm itself".

He noted that the military operation aims to achieve the war goals, which are the collapse of the Hamas administration and military power and the return of Israeli hostages held in Gaza.