The claim that it is possible to destroy Hamas, throws sand in the eyes of Israeli public opinion, Hagari said in an interview with Channel 13. “Hamas is an idea, Hamas is a party that is rooted in the hearts of the people (in Gaza); whoever thinks that we can eliminate Hamas is wrong,” he stressed.

Hagari’s statements confirm the tensions between the IDF and Netanyahu’s government, who has promised on numerous occasions the destruction of the Palestinian militia, The Times of Israel highlighted.

In response to the spokesman’s statements, Netanyahu’s office issued a response shortly afterward, saying that one “of the objectives of this war is the destruction of the military and governance capabilities of Hamas.” In turn, the IDF spokesperson unit affirmed that the high command is committed to the plans proposed by the cabinet and that Hagari only referred to “eradicating Hamas as an ideology and an idea.”

National television stations revealed recently that both the chief of the IDF General Staff, Herzi Halevi, and the Shin Bet (internal security service), Ronen Bar, lately quarreled with Netanyahu over the strategic planning of the conflict.

There are other recent signs of friction between the Army and the right-wing politician, including the “tactical pauses” adopted by the army in the fight along a highway in southern Gaza, the newspaper recalled.

According to Israeli projections, Hamas had between 30,000 and 40,000 militants in Gaza before the start of the war in October of last year, of which it has lost half, nevertheless, Hanas denied the number of casualties and assured that it could fight for many months.

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