Hamas' military has been 'defeated', Israeli army chief declares - as nation prepares to mark anniversary of the October 7 atrocities which pushed the Middle East to the brink of all-out war

 Hamas' military has been 'defeated', the chief of Israel's army has declared.

Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi told his troops in a statement: 'A year has passed, and we have defeated the military wing of Hamas [...]. We have dealt a severe blow to Hezbollah, which has lost all of its senior leadership.'

'We are not stopping – we fight, debrief, learn, and improve,' he added, as troops in northern Gaza operated against what the IDF said were Hamas attempts to rebuild.

'We are taking an offensive, tactical, and proactive approach on all fronts, adapting our defensive strategies on all borders, and understanding that the IDF must be a greater army that takes good care of its people. 

'We are destroying our enemies' capabilities, and we will ensure that these capabilities are not rebuilt, so that October 7th is never repeated.'

This comes as Israel placed its forces on alert Saturday ahead of the anniversary of Hamas's October 7 attack, after a military official said the country was preparing its retaliation for Iran's missile attack.

Herzi Halevi (pictured) told his troops in a statement: 'A year has passed, and we have defeated the military wing of Hamas [...]. We have dealt a severe blow to Hezbollah, which has lost all of its senior leadership'