Palestinian resistance group Hamas cannot be defeated as an ideology, the spokesman of Israel’s army said Wednesday.
After more than eight months of war, Israel has failed to oust Hamas from the Palestinian territory but has brought widespread devastation.
“Hamas is an ideology, we cannot eliminate an ideology,” Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told Israel’s Channel 13 broadcaster.
“To say that we are going to make Hamas disappear is to throw sand in people’s eyes. If we don’t provide an alternative, in the end, we will have Hamas.”
His comments were quickly rebuffed by the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose cabinet has stated its Gaza offensive will not end until Hamas is defeated.
“The political and security cabinet headed by Prime Minister Netanyahu defined as one of the goals of the war the destruction of Hamas’ military and governmental capabilities,” his office said in a statement.
“The IDF is of course committed to this.”
Israel’s attacks killed at least 37,396 people in Gaza, mostly civilians since Oct. 7.
