New York Times: The US does not believe Israel can crush Hamas militarily

As the Biden administration tries to get ceasefire talks back on track, a growing number of US security officials say they believe Israel’s military (IDF) has hit Hamas hard but will never be able to completely eliminate the group. reports New York Times.

In many ways, Israel has done far more damage to Hamas in the last ten months than American officials predicted at the start of the war on October 7 last year, the newspaper writes.

Israeli forces are now able to move freely in the Gaza Strip, Hamas has been greatly weakened and Israel has destroyed important supply routes from Egypt to Gaza, it said.

But one of Israel’s most important goals – the return of the remaining hostages – cannot be achieved militarily, according to US and Israeli experts interviewed by the paper.

– Israel has been able to dissolve parts of Hamas, kill a number of their leaders and greatly reduce the threat to Israel that existed before October 7, says General Joseph L. Votel, the former head of the US Central Command.

Hamas is a reduced organisation, but the release of the hostages can only be secured through negotiations, he adds.

However, IDF spokesperson Nadav Shoshani maintains in an interview with the New York Times that “the IDF and its commanders are committed to achieving the war’s goals of dismantling Hamas and bringing home the hostages, and continue to work toward those goals.”