Israeli Channel 12 reported on Sunday that the Chief of Staff of the Israeli army, Eyal Zamir, told political leaders that Hamas cannot be defeated either militarily or politically, even if Israel occupies Gaza City.
This comes as Israeli forces expand their operations in Gaza City under orders from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, demolishing entire residential areas despite repeated warnings that such actions could endanger the lives of hostages.
According to the channel, Zamir told the government that the ground operation the army is preparing to launch in Gaza City “will not bring a complete victory.”
He explained that his aim was to “align expectations with the government regarding the results of the upcoming ground operation.”
In a closed session, Zamir added that “achieving a final decision would require extending operations to other areas of the Strip, including central refugee camps, which could create a civilian challenge that the army does not want to bear.”
Security officials estimate that controlling Gaza could take between several months and half a year before moving to a wider “cleansing” stage of the area.