Israeli Army says Hamas cannot be defeated ‘as much as ideology’

Jerusalem:

Israel’s top army spokesman said Wednesday that Hamas cannot be eliminated, prompting a knee-jerk reaction from the government, which quickly reiterated that it remains committed to destroying the Palestinian militant group.

More than eight months of war, triggered by Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, have failed to expel Islamic militants from Gaza, but have caused widespread devastation.

“To say that we are going to make Hamas disappear is to pull the wool over people’s eyes. If we don’t provide an alternative, in the end, we will have Hamas,” Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told Israeli broadcaster Channel 13.

“Hamas is an ideology, we cannot eliminate an ideology.”

His comments were quickly rejected by the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose office declared that his offensive in Gaza will not end until Hamas is defeated.

“The political and security office led by Prime Minister Netanyahu has defined as one of the objectives of the war the destruction of Hamas’ military and governmental capabilities,” his office said in a statement.

“It is clear that the IDF is committed to this.”

In a separate statement on its Telegram channel, the military clarified that Hagari addressed Hamas “as an ideology… and his statements were clear and explicit.”

“Any other statement is taking the statement out of context.”

The October 7 attack that triggered the war resulted in the deaths of 1,194 people in Israel, most of them civilians, according to an AFP report based on official Israeli figures.

The militants also took 251 hostages. Of these, 116 remain in Gaza, although the army says 41 are dead.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive aimed at eliminating Hamas has killed at least 37,396 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Ministry of Health in the Hamas-administered territory.

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