Israeli army spokesman says Hamas cannot be eliminated

(Patria) - Israeli army spokesman said on Wednesday that Hamas cannot be eliminated, prompting a reaction from the government which stated it remains committed to the destruction of the Palestinian militant group.

In more than eight months of war, Israel has failed to defeat Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

„Saying we will make Hamas disappear is throwing sand in people's eyes. If we don't provide an alternative, we will end up with Hamas,“ said Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari for Israeli Channel 13.

„Hamas is an ideology, we cannot eliminate an ideology,“ he added, as reported by AFP.

His comments were quickly dismissed by the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose cabinet stated that its offensive on Gaza will not end until Hamas is defeated.

„The political-security cabinet headed by Prime Minister Netanyahu defined as one of the goals of the war the destruction of Hamas's military and governmental capabilities,“ his office said in a statement.

„The IDF is, of course, committed to this,“ they added.

In a separate statement on its Telegram channel, the military clarified that Hagari spoke about Hamas „as an ideology... and his statements were clear and explicit.“

„Any other claim is taking the statement out of context,“ they added.

The October 7 attack that sparked the war resulted in the deaths of 1,194 people in Israel, mostly civilians. Militants captured 251 hostages, of whom 116 remain in Gaza, although the military says 41 are dead. At least 37,396 people have been killed in Gaza in the Israeli offensive, mostly civilians.