Israel reiterated on Thursday that the goals of its war in Gaza include “the dismantling of Hamas’ government and military forces,” following controversy over comments made by its military spokesman.
IDF spokesman Maj. Gen. Daniel Hagari said Wednesday that Hamas cannot be ideologically destroyed and that to pretend otherwise would be to mislead the public.
The Israel Times report:
IDF spokesman Maj. Gen. Daniel Hagari said Wednesday that Israel’s war objective of eradicating the Hamas terror group is unattainable, appearing to highlight tensions between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and top defense officials over how to respond to the Gaza war.
“This act of destroying and eliminating Hamas is simply throwing sand in the eyes of the people,” Haghari told Channel 13 news in an interview.
“Hamas is an idea, Hamas is a party. Hamas is rooted in the hearts of the people. Anyone who thinks they can eliminate Hamas is wrong,” he continued.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office responded in a statement: “The Security Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has set as one of its war objectives the destruction of Hamas’ military and governing capabilities.”
The IDF explained that Hagari was talking about “eliminating Hamas as an ideology and philosophy”, not as a military force, and said any other interpretation meant it was taken “out of context”.
But Hamas seized on Hagari’s comments, claiming that Israel was losing the war and had accepted the inevitability of defeat.
Occupation in War #Gaza.#Israel We understand that even hundreds of tons of explosives cannot eliminate Hamas. (2/3)
— AbuAliEnglish (@AbuAliEnglishB1) June 20, 2024
Responding to questions from Breitbart News, Israeli government spokesman David Mensah said the dispute does not affect the war effort and is simply part of life in a healthy democratic society.
He reiterated that Israel’s goal was to dismantle Hamas’ military and governing power, eliminate the terrorist threat and return all hostages.
The spat comes as the United States is pressuring Israel to abandon the war without having won it.
Additionally, senior Israeli military officials are believed to be politically opposed to Prime Minister Netanyahu and may have been trying to influence the country’s civilian leadership.
Asked if that was a possibility, Mensah said the perception of a conflict was a misunderstanding and that Israel’s goal was not to kill all Hamas members.
He noted that Hamas has become so desperate in Gaza that it is forcing children to fight, like the Nazis did at the end of World War II.
Mensah observed that the Nazis were destroyed as a military and governing force without killing all Nazis.
“We are winning in Gaza. We are dismantling this organization. We will not stop until it is done. The idea that Hamas will remain in power is already off the table.”
Joel B. Pollack is executive editor of Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday The show airs Sunday nights from 7 to 10 p.m. (4 to 7 p.m. ET) on SiriusXM Patriot. He is the author of his recently published e-book,The Zionist Conspiracy (And How to Join It)” is available on Audible. He is also the author of an e-book. Not Free or Fair: The 2020 US Presidential ElectionHe is the recipient of the Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship in 2018. Follow him on Twitter. Joel Pollack.
