Israeli forces achieve all possible military objectives in Gaza - Media
Israeli forces (photo: Getty Images)
According to senior American officials, Israel has achieved all that it can militarily in Gaza, reports The New York Times.
As the Biden administration seeks to restart ceasefire negotiations, more national security officials are stating that Israel's ongoing bombardment of Gaza not only increases risks to civilians but also reduces the likelihood of further weakening Hamas. Moreover, while Israeli forces have significantly degraded Hamas, they will never be able to completely eradicate the group.
According to the NYT, Israel's military operation has inflicted much greater damage on Hamas than US officials had anticipated when the war began in October.
Officials report that Israeli forces can now move freely throughout Gaza, while Hamas is bleeding and suffering significant losses.
In particular, Israel has destroyed or seized key supply routes from Egypt to Gaza. Last month, according to Israeli military statements, approximately 14,000 fighters in Gaza were killed or captured. Additionally, Israel has eliminated half the leadership of the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, including the top leaders Muhammad Deif and Marwan Issa.
But despite this, current and former American and Israeli officials say that one of Israel’s remaining main objectives is to recover around 115 hostages, both alive and dead, who are still held in Gaza following the Hamas attack on October 7. They note that this goal cannot be achieved through military means.
As reported earlier, top Hamas official Osama Hamdan has stated that the group is losing faith in the ability of the US to mediate a ceasefire in Gaza.
