JERUSALEM, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Israel's military chief Eyal Zamir vowed Sunday that Israeli forces would also target Hamas leaders based abroad, following the killing of the group's armed wing spokesperson in Gaza.

"In the Gaza Strip, yesterday we struck one of Hamas' senior leaders, Abu Obeida," Zamir said. "This is not the end. Most of Hamas' leadership is abroad, and we will reach them as well," he said.

Zamir made the remarks during a situational assessment meeting at the army's Northern Command in the Upper Galilee mountains near the borders with Lebanon and Syria. He stressed that the military is "operating offensively, with initiative and operational superiority, across all arenas and at all times."

Israel pressed ahead with its assault on the famine-stricken enclave, as eyewitnesses reported large plumes of smoke along the border and the sound of heavy bombardment.

Israeli strikes and shootings killed at least 88 people and wounded 421 others in the past 24 hours, according to Gaza's health authorities, bringing the total death toll since Oct. 7, 2023, to 63,459. ■