Jerusalem, Jul 2 (IANS): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that his country is in "the final stage" of eliminating Hamas' armed force in the Gaza Strip.

"We are advancing towards the completion of the elimination" of Hamas, he said on Monday during a meeting with cadets from Israel's National Security College, according to a statement released by his office as reported by Xinhua news agency.

Netanyahu's estimate came a day after he toured the Gaza division and held a security assessment meeting, with Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and the army's senior command, on Israel's nine-month-long offensive in Gaza, "with emphasis on the fighting in Rafah, as well as the continuation of military pressure on Hamas," according to Netanyahu's office.

On Monday, the Israel Defense Forces ordered a mass evacuation of civilians from the eastern Khan Younis, signalling that ground forces might soon resume their offensives in the southern Gazan city, presumably to fight Hamas forces that have regrouped in the area.

Israel completed a large-scale attack in Khan Younis in early April and subsequently withdrew most of its forces.