Israeli Military Spokesman: Hamas Cannot be Eliminated

Date: 21 June 2024 - 22:17

News ID: ۱۲۸۵۹۰

TEL AVIV (Dispatches) –
Israeli military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari has cast the Zionist regime’s war aim of eradicating the Hamas resistance movement as unattainable, appearing to underscore tensions between prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and top officials over his handling of the war in Gaza.
“This business of destroying Hamas, making Hamas disappear — it’s simply throwing sand in the eyes of the public,” Hagari told Channel 13 news in an interview.
“Hamas is an idea, Hamas is a party. It’s rooted in the hearts of the people — anyone who thinks we can eliminate Hamas is wrong,” he continued.
Hagari also warned that if the Zionist regime “doesn’t find an alternative, [Hamas] will remain” in the Gaza Strip.
Hagari’s comments echoed remarks he made last month, when he was asked whether the military’s need to return to areas in Gaza previously cleared of Hamas was a result of the regime not making a decision on who will rule the strip instead of the resistance group.
Television reports have said military chief of staff Herzi Halevi and Shin Bet head Ronen Bar also recently feuded with Netanyahu over strategic planning, while war cabinet member Benny Gantz resigned last week after the premier refused to present a postwar plan by the deadline he set.
There have been other recent signs of friction between the military and Netanyahu, including over “tactical pauses” in fighting along a road in southern Gaza that Netanyahu criticized.
Netanyahu’s eldest son Yair in recent days has also increasingly lashed out at military leaders, blaming them for the October 7 debacle that, unlike the military brass, the hardline premier has repeatedly refused to acknowledge responsibility for.