Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir reportedly doubted the possibility of eliminating the Palestinian resistance movement as the occupation forces opened the ground phase of the so-called Operation Gideon Chariots II.
The Economist reported that Zamir repeatedly told the Israeli cabinet that dealing a decisive blow to Hamas could take years, if it were even possible.
Meanwhile, Israeli media quoted Zamir as saying that Zamir conducted an assessment in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday after touring the assault by the 98th Division in Gaza City.
Zamir said the objective is to defeat the Hamas brigade in Gaza City, not to annihilate Hamas across the entire strip.
“Yesterday, we deepened the operation into the heart of Gaza City, which is a vital area for Hamas. On your shoulders rests the mission to defeat the Gaza City brigade. The maneuver in the city is a decisive move to carry out the most moral and important mission — to bring all the hostages home and to collapse the military and governing capabilities of the terrorist organization Hamas,” he said, as quoted by Ynet.
For his part, The New York Times’s Adam Goldman reported on Wednesday that “even if Israel vanquishes Hamas, the group’s ideology will most likely survive the war.”
The writer noted that “the goal of eradicating raises questions.”
“Once Israel declares success, who will govern Gaza? Mr. Netanyahu has suggested unspecified “Arab forces,” but his additional requirements, like keeping the Palestinian Authority out of power in Gaza, make the idea a nonstarter in Arab countries,” Goldman added.
Source: Newspapers (edited by Al-Manar)
