Netanyahu's main rival vows to defeat Hamas within 18 months if elected PM

Israeli opposition politician Gadi Eisenkot, Prime Miniter Benjamin Netanyahu's main rival in upcoming elections, vowed Thursday to defeat Hamas in Gaza if he becomes prime minister following the October 27 vote.

"Today I give a public commitment: from the moment I enter the Prime Minister's Office, within 18 months Hamas will no longer rule the Gaza Strip," the leader of the center-right Yashar party said at a press conference near the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.

He said he would achieve this either by implementing U.S. President Donald Trump's ceasefire plan for Gaza, which provides for the gradual disarmament of Hamas and a transfer of power, or through "creative operations" by Israel's military aimed at destroying the Palestinian movement's military wing.