US said to believe IDF can’t make further gains against ‘diminished’ Hamas in Gaza

The Times of Israel reports: “Israel has achieved all it can in its military campaign against Hamas in Gaza, several US officials told the New York Times in an article published Thursday, saying that the Israel Defense Forces would never be able to completely eradicate the terror group.

The report, citing current and former US and Israeli officials, said that only a deal, not military pressure, could secure the release of the remaining 115 living and dead captives in Gaza who were abducted on October 7. Still, the report said, Israel’s Gaza offensive has achieved far more against Hamas than US officials had predicted in October.

‘Israel has been able to disrupt Hamas, kill a number of their leaders and largely reduce the threat to Israel that existed before October 7,’ Gen. Joseph L. Votel, the former head of US CENTCOM, told the Times, adding that Hamas has been ‘diminished.’

Responding to the Times, the Israel Defense Force said that ‘the IDF and its commanders are committed to achieving the goals of the war to dismantle Hamas and bring home our hostages, and will continue to operate with determination to achieve them.’…”

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