IDF spokesperson denies Hamas can be completely destroyed, calls it an ‘idea’

Hagari: ‘Whoever thinks that it’s possible to make it disappear is mistaken.’

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari denied it is possible to destroy Hamas completely since it is an ideology, not just a terrorist military.

In an interview with Channel 13 on Wednesday, Hagari harshly criticized Israel’s political echelon and said that claims that Hamas can be destroyed were “throwing dust in the eyes of the public. Hamas is an idea.”

He added, “Whoever thinks that it’s possible to make it disappear is mistaken. It’s the Muslim Brotherhood.”

In addition, he said that hostage rescue operations such as the one that freed Andrey Kozlov, Almog Meir Jan, Shlomi Ziv, and Noa Argamani could not be used to liberate all of the remaining hostages.

Because of the danger and complexity of such missions, Hagari said, “It is not possible to rescue all the abductees in military operations.”

However, Hagari seemed convinced that the IDF would one day eliminate the October 7th mastermind, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

“He will make a mistake, and it will happen,” said Hagari.

In response to Hagari’s interview, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement saying, “The Security Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has defined the destruction of Hamas’ military and governing capabilities as one of the goals of the war. The IDF, of course, is committed to this.”

The Israel Defense Forces has made significant progress in the ongoing operation against Hamas forces in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, with an army spokesperson claiming Israel has destroyed about half of Hamas’s fighting force in the area, with at least 550 gunmen killed thus far.

The IDF’s 162nd Division has been actively engaged in Rafah for over 40 days as part of the effort to destroy Hamas’ last remaining intact battalions located in the southern Gaza enclave.

The IDF’s 162nd Division has suffered 22 fatalities thus far during the Rafah operation, including 8 killed in a recent blast in an armored vehicle under attack.

Initially, Israeli forces secured the city’s eastern outskirts and the Egyptian border crossing in early May. The operation then advanced to capture Rafah’s Brazil neighborhood approximately a week and a half later.