Palestinian Authority PM: Israel can’t destroy Hamas since it’s ‘an idea,’ isn’t just in Gaza

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh claims that Israel’s war goal of eradicating Hamas is impossible to achieve, because the terror group exists as an “idea” and many of its top members aren’t even in Gaza.

“The goal that they are setting — they will never reach this goal… because Hamas is not only in Gaza,” he tells France24. “Hamas is an idea, it’s not only a military structure or an organization in Gaza. Hamas is in the West Bank and Lebanon and Syria, Hamas leadership is in Qatar, and everywhere. So to say that the goal is to eliminate Hamas — it is totally not going to happen.”

Many have defined Israel’s goal as dismantling Hamas’s ability to rule Gaza and its ability to terrorize and target the residents of Israel, as it did in its October 7 onslaught.