“Hamas is stronger today than it was on October 7. Its cause is more popular and its appeal stronger than before October 7,” US Foreign Affairs magazine confirmed on Friday.
“After nine months of gruelling war, it is time to recognize the stark reality: there is no military-only solution to defeat Hamas,” adding that “Hamas is neither defeated nor on the verge of defeat,” the magazine wrote in a report.
According to the magazine, “Although many observers have highlighted the immorality of Israel’s conduct, Israeli leaders have consistently claimed that the goal of defeating Hamas and weakening its ability to launch new attacks against Israeli civilians must take precedence over any concerns about Palestinian lives. The punishment of the population of Gaza must be accepted as necessary to destroy the power of Hamas.”
It also noted: “Israel has invaded northern and southern Gaza with approximately 40,000 combat troops, forcibly displaced 80 percent of the population, killed over 37,000 people, dropped at least 70,000 tons of bombs on the territory (surpassing the combined weight of bombs dropped on London, Dresden, and Hamburg in all of World War II), destroyed or damaged over half of all buildings in Gaza, and limited the territory’s access to water, food, and electricity, leaving the entire population on the brink of famine.”
The Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari said two days ago in an interview on Israeli Channel 13 that Hamas is “an idea” that cannot disappear, and Israel’s goal to wipe the movement out is unachievable.
Hagari confirmed that anyone who promises to eradicate Hamas is “misleading the public”, adding that if the Israeli government doesn’t find an alternative or solution for the current war, it will remain stuck in Gaza.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued a statement saying that the security cabinet “has defined as one of the war goals the destruction of Hamas’s military and governance capabilities”.
However, a report by The Guardian said that Hamas still strong even in the areas cleared by Israeli army and there may be more Hamas fighters in the north of Gaza more than in Rafah.
Experts said the battles in Jabaliya underlined the ability of Hamas to return to parts of Gaza from which it was forced to retreat by earlier Israeli offensives, threatening a “forever war” for months or even years to come.
Analysts also revealed that Hamas can easily recruit new members to rebuild its strength and that fighting a war of attrition against a “guerrilla army” with some popular support among a population of more than two million is impossible.
Michael Milstein from the Moshe Dayan Center further added that the resurgence of Hamas also involves a concerted effort to maintain its authority over all aspects of civilian life. “The leaders of Hamas are very flexible and they have adapted to the new situation.”
Mkhaimar Abusada, professor of political science at al-Azhar University in Gaza said that “There is a widespread belief that ‘Israel’ is not at war with Hamas, but with the Palestinian people. Hamas won’t claim victory, not after all this death and destruction, but will not surrender. That is just not in their vocabulary.”
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