The Israeli army: Hamas cannot be eliminated

Yesterday, Wednesday, during a television interview with Channel 13, Israeli army spokesman Major General Daniel Hagari expressed his opinion that Hamas “cannot be eliminated” and that the only way to achieve its goal is to release the hostages. In the Gaza Strip through a prisoner exchange agreement.

This is the first time since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas that a senior Israeli official has publicly expressed the view that the Palestinian Islamic movement “cannot be eliminated,” challenging one of the stated goals of the war as set by the Israeli Prime Minister. Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“Hamas is an ideology, and Hamas is a political party. It is rooted in the hearts of the people. The Israeli army spokesman said in the interview: “Anyone who believes that we are able to eliminate Hamas is delusional.” He added: “Hamas is the Muslim Brotherhood, and it has been active for years.” many”.

He said that the only way to weaken Hamas is to have a new leadership in the Gaza Strip. “If we don’t bring something different to Gaza, we will end up with Hamas,” he warned.

Admiral Hagari admitted that it was “impossible” to release all the hostages held in the Gaza Strip through military operations, expressing the view that a prisoner exchange plan should be implemented, a comment by Haaretz that reflects the divide between the political and political divide. Military leadership.

The reaction was immediate from the office of Prime Minister Netanyahu, who issued a statement stressing that eliminating Hamas is a goal set by the government and that the IDF remains committed to it.

In a clarifying post by the Israeli Armed Forces on Telegram, it was emphasized that Hagari referred to Hamas as an ideology and his statement should not be misinterpreted.