Statements on the war in Gaza from the Israeli military pose a new challenge to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, suggesting that “destroying Hamas” may not be a viable goal.
Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari told Israeli television on Wednesday that “the idea that we can destroy Hamas, or make it disappear, is misleading to the public.”
A newspaper report indicates Wall Street Journal This may mean that “the differences between Netanyahu and the military leadership in Israel will come to light,” as the statements confirm that “Netanyahu’s goal of destroying Hamas in Gaza is unachievable.”
The report described the Israeli army’s statements as a “rare direct rebuke” of Netanyahu’s goal, which emphasizes achieving what he calls “complete victory” through a duality: eliminating Hamas and returning all Israeli hostages.
The war that has been ongoing in the Gaza Strip for more than eight months, sparked by the unprecedented attack launched by Hamas on Israel on October 7, did not succeed in overthrowing the Hamas movement, but it caused widespread destruction.
Netanyahu reiterates in his statements that he “will not accept ending the war without eliminating Hamas as the military force that runs the Strip.”
Hagari told Israeli Channel 13: “Hamas is an idea, and we cannot eliminate an idea.”
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office did not remain silent regarding Hagari’s statements, and responded by saying, “The mini-ministerial council headed by Prime Minister Netanyahu identified the destruction of Hamas’s military and governmental capabilities as one of the goals of the war. The Israeli army is, of course, committed to that.”
These exchanged statements are an “example” of months of tension between Netanyahu and the military leadership in Israel, who say that “Hamas cannot be defeated unless Israel replaces it with another ruling authority in Gaza,” according to the report.
“What we can do is develop something different. Something to replace it,” Hagari said Wednesday, noting that “politicians” must decide “who should replace Hamas.”
“Half of the Hamas brigades in Rafah were dismantled.” Is the Gaza war nearing the end?
The Israeli army’s announcement of “dismantling half of Hamas’ forces in Rafah” raised questions about how close Israel is to achieving its declared goal of “destroying the movement,” and the possibility of an end to the war in the Gaza Strip.
He added, “Saying that ‘we will make Hamas disappear’ is like throwing ashes in people’s eyes. If we do not find an alternative, Hamas will remain.”
During more than eight months of war, despite what Israel achieved on the ground by invading large areas of the Gaza Strip, Hamas also “reshaped itself in the areas when Israeli forces withdraw from them.”
Since the beginning of the war, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has rejected “a series of proposals for possible alternatives to Hamas in Gaza,” including “the American plan to annex the Palestinian Authority and Arab calls to form a Palestinian unity government that includes Hamas.”
In a separate statement published on its Telegram channel, the army explained that Hagari was talking about Hamas “as an idea…and his statements were clear and frank.”
He added, “Any other statements are taking the statement out of context.”
According to the newspaper, military analysts and former Israeli officials wonder “whether the formation of a new government in Gaza is possible at all, especially since Hamas was able to survive the Israeli military attack.”
Yisrael Ziv, a retired Israeli general, told the Wall Street Journal that “tensions between the Israeli military, the security establishment, and Netanyahu have reached a record level.”
He added, “The Israeli army and security leadership feel that the purpose of the war has been exhausted, as we have reached the maximum tactical climax that can be achieved… As for Rafah, they could have said, ‘Finish the mission. Well, it is over now.'”
This is not the first time that tensions have surfaced between Netanyahu and the military establishment. Last May, Defense Minister Yoav Galant called for a decision to be made regarding who should replace Hamas in Gaza, and he said at the time: “The failure to reach a decision has left Israel with no choice but to Two options: Hamas rule or complete Israeli military control over the Gaza Strip.”
This dispute between Netanyahu and the military leadership comes at a time when he is under pressure from Washington to accept the “ceasefire” proposal, which US President Joe Biden sees as a glimmer of hope to “end the war.”
Finally, Netanyahu sparked a new dispute with the US administration, accusing Washington of withholding weapons and ammunition from Israel, while the White House denied these allegations, indicating that only one shipment of ammunition was stopped.
The White House expressed its “deep disappointment” at Netanyahu’s criticism of the United States on Thursday, amid tensions between the two allies over Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip.
The White House: Netanyahu’s statements are disappointing and we did not expect them
National Security Council Communications Advisor at the White House, John Kirby, said on Thursday that the statements of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “were disappointing and we did not expect them,” stressing that the White House did not know that Netanyahu would publish a video clip about American arms shipments to Israel.
The United States in May suspended a shipment of 2,000-pound and 500-pound bombs to Israel over concern about the impact they could have in densely populated areas, but Israel is still set to receive billions of dollars in American weapons.
In April, Biden warned Israel that the United States would stop supplying it with weapons if its forces carried out a major operation in Rafah, the city in southern Gaza that is the last refuge for many people displaced by the war.
The Hamas attack that was behind the outbreak of the war resulted in the deaths of 1,194 people, most of them civilians, according to a census prepared by Agence France-Presse based on official Israeli data.
In the attack, 251 people were kidnapped, 116 of whom are still detained in Gaza, and the army says 41 of them died.
In response to the attack, the Israeli army launched a devastating bombing campaign, raids and ground attacks that have so far left 37,396 people dead, most of them civilians, according to data from the Hamas government’s Ministry of Health.
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said that Secretary Anthony Blinken will discuss the ongoing work on a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages, during a meeting with Israeli officials on Thursday, according to Reuters.
Miller added to reporters that Blinken will also discuss the situation along the Israeli border with Lebanon in the meeting with Ron Dermer, Minister of Strategic Affairs, and Tzachi Hanegbi, Israeli National Security Advisor.
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