In an interview with Israel’s Channel 13 on Wednesday, IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari stated that “Hamas cannot be destroyed” as it is an ideology, not just a military entity.
“Hamas cannot be destroyed. In an interview with Israel’s Channel 13, IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari stated on Wednesday that “Hamas is an idea.” “Those who think it can be made to disappear are wrong. It’s the Muslim Brotherhood.”
Hagari gave the political leadership advice by saying, “What we can do is foster something new to replace Hamas. Something that will make the population aware that someone else is distributing food and managing public services. Who will that be? What will it be? That’s for the political leadership to decide. But to truly weaken Hamas, this is the way.”
Journalist Almog Boker questioned Hagari about if the Palestinian Authority could replace Hamas and seize control of Gaza. Hagari said, “I don’t discuss alternatives; that’s for the political echelon to decide, and the IDF will implement.” But the notion that Hamas can be destroyed, that it can be eradicated, is simply misleading the public. If we don’t bring something else to Gaza, we will end up with Hamas again.”
The office of Prime Minister Netanyahu answered right away. “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 PMO said in a statement.
The IDF is “committed to achieving the war’s objectives as laid out by the Cabinet; it has been working day and night throughout the war and will continue to do so,” according to a statement released by the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit after the interview. A clear military objective, the leadership of the IDF and its soldiers are battling with tenacity and determination to eliminate Hamas’s military capabilities as well as its organizational and governmental structures in Gaza.”
According to the statement, Hagari made it plain in the interview that he “discussed the destruction of Hamas as an ideology and an idea.” Any claim otherwise is taking his words out of context.”
In the interview, Hagari underlined that Israel is about to overcome the Rafah Brigade of Hamas. “The Rafah Brigade, which was part of the October 7 attack, is close to a military defeat – and we will defeat this brigade,” he stated.
“After we achieve this, we will explain to the public the significance of our victory against Hamas. We will first communicate this to the political leadership and then to the public. This also involves sharpening our readiness and preparations to consider all possible alternatives for decision-making, to think ahead about what we want to achieve both in Gaza and in the north,” he said.
Hagari also talked about “Operation Arnon,” which freed Shlomi Ziv, Andrey Kozlov, Almog Meir Jan, and Noa Argamani, the four hostages. “Not all hostages can be rescued in operations,” he admitted, adding: “We are engaged in continuous operational intelligence thinking around the clock. Shin Bet, IDF, National Intelligence Directorate, and special units generate many ideas, and many things happen that the public does not know about because we decided not to execute them.”
“What guides us in this matter is one thing – we will do everything to bring people home alive,” Hagari clarified. “It should be said, even in Operation Arnon there were risks, and it’s never 100% – but we are determined to try. It won’t be possible to bring back all the hostages through military operations, and that’s something the public needs to be told.”
Hagari has previously criticized the political establishment for making ostentatious claims, particularly Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In a special interview conducted last month, he talked about remarks he had made before the Rafah operation. “I want to tell the public, not to delude them – even after we deal with Rafah, there will still be terrorism.” He said this in response to Netanyahu’s April remarks that declared Israel was “on the verge of a complete victory.”
Hagari responded to complaints about the campaign’s duration when Ynet asked a question earlier this month. “It takes time to deal with Hamas – anyone who says otherwise is presenting an illusion to the public. Rafah is one of the most complex areas in the Middle East, if not in the entire world. There were 1.4 million residents there – the IDF evacuated more than a million civilians. This is an unprecedented event in the world.”
Recently, GreatGameIndia reported that amid ongoing conflict, Israel’s actions in Gaza, including US-supported operations, risk rendering the region uninhabitable while pursuing the eradication of Hamas, says Dr. Tamer Qarmout of the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies.
