According to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, the Israeli army (IDF) has killed or wounded 60% of Hamas terrorists and destroyed most of the Islamist organization’s battalions.
According to Israeli media, Gallant made the statement in parliament on Wednesday.
Israel announced the complete destruction of Hamas as a war goal after the massacres committed by Hamas and other extremist groups on October 7.
As long as Hamas retains power in the Gaza Strip, it can rebuild and strengthen itself, Israeli officials say. That means the Israeli army would have to return and fight in areas where it was already stationed.
Gallant has called for the creation of a political alternative to Hamas’s rule in the Gaza Strip. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has so far refused to present a plan for the governance and reconstruction of Gaza after the end of the war.
According to observers, this is probably because he is trying to avoid conflict with his far-right coalition partners, who support the construction of Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip, a highly controversial proposal.