From the Liveblog of
Thursday, June 20, 2024
After Hagari says Hamas can’t be defeated, terror group crows over ‘admission that Israel failed’
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
A senior Hamas official says IDF Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari’s statement that Hamas cannot be eliminated is “an admission that [Israel] has already failed.”
Calling Hagari’s statement a “frank confession,” Hamas politburo member Ghazi Hamad says in an interview with Al Jazeera that after nine months of war, it is clear that Hamas cannot be eliminated even if Israel uses hundreds of times more munitions.
“This will change the course of history and will convince the international community that the Hamas movement will remain in the political scene, and will be a permanent part of the social fabric and the fabric of resistance,” Hamad, who fled Gaza shortly before October 7, continues.
Hamad argues that Hagari’s comments are evidence of discord within the Israeli government and that Israelis are telling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop the war.
“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.
The statements led to a swift response by Netanyahu’s office that the security cabinet “has defined as one of the war goals the destruction of Hamas’s military and governance capabilities.”
“The Israel Defense Forces is of course committed to this,” the statement added.
