Israeli forces spox says Hamas can't be destroyed, Netanyahu responds
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Hagari explained that if there was no alternative found by the Israeli government, Hamas would remain in Gaza.
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Israeli occupation forces spokesperson Daniel Hagari during a speech (AFP)
According to Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, an Israeli military spokesperson, the goal of "eradicating Hamas" is unattainable.
IOF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari described the objective of destroying the Palestinian Resistance movement of Hamas as impossible, prompting a rebuke from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Hamas is an idea. Those who think it can be made to disappear are wrong,” Hagari told Israeli Channel 13, adding that anyone offering this solution is "misleading the public."
Read more: From North to South, ‘Israel’ isolated, cornered, and dealt blows
He added that if there was no alternative found by the Israeli government, Hamas would remain in Gaza.
In response, Netanyahu's office released a statement citing that one of the war goals was the "destruction of Hamas's military and governance capabilities," adding that the Israeli occupation forces are "committed" to that goal.
Hagari confirmed on Saturday evening that the army will not be able to retrieve all the captives in the Gaza Strip through military operations, according to Israeli Channel 12.
This echoes the remarks of Amos Harel, a military affairs analyst for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, who argued that "Israel is not close to total victory," adding that the retrieval of a large number of captives in the Gaza Strip "will only be possible through a deal that requires significant concessions."
In turn, the Israeli newspaper Maariv quoted the former head of the Operations Directorate in the Israeli military, Major General (Res.) Israel Ziv, affirming that "only a deal can bring back the Israeli hostages."
Ziv added that the deal should be part of a comprehensive deal to end the war, noting that such a deal "is more in our favor because we are facing an existential threat in the North."
Gaza Resistance factions join forces, target Israeli forces
Within the framework of the ongoing operations of the Palestinian Resistance factions against the Israeli forces invading the Gaza Strip, the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, targeted the occupation forces stationed at the Tell al-Sultan site in Rafah with heavy mortar shells.
The al-Qassam Brigades also targeted an Israeli Merkava tank with an al-Yassin 105 rocket near the al-Jawazat Roundabout east of Rafah City in the southern Gaza Strip.
Additionally, al-Qassam released footage showing their fighters engaging Israeli forces positioned at the Netzarim axis with short-range Rajum rockets of 114 mm caliber.
#بالفيديو | كتائب القسام تستهدف قوات الاحتلال المتموضعة في محور "نتساريم" بصواريخ "رجوم".#طوفان_الأقصى pic.twitter.com/pIYjT30OJW
— قناة الميادين (@AlMayadeenNews) June 18, 2024
Meanwhile, the al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement, shelled an Israeli military position along the supply route at the Netzarim Axis south of Gaza City with mortar shells.
The Brigades also targeted the Israeli military sites Karem Abu Salem and Sufa, east of Rafah, with heavy mortars.
Moreover, the al-Quds Brigades simultaneously bombarded an Israeli command center and troop positions with 107 rockets and mortars in the southern Saudi neighborhood and Tal al-Sultan west of Rafah.
On its part, the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades announced that its fighters shelled Israeli troop gatherings and military vehicles in the southern Tell al-Sultan neighborhood.
The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades released a video showing its rocket and artillery attacks on Israeli positions at the Netzarim Axis on the first day of the Eid al-Adha Islamic holiday on Sunday.
