Worthy Christian News > Israel-Palestinian Conflict > Hamas Is An “Idea” That Cannot Be Destroyed, Senior IDF Official Says

Hamas Is An “Idea” That Cannot Be Destroyed, Senior IDF Official Says

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – Amid Israel’s ongoing war to destroy Hamas’ terrorist capabilities in Gaza, a senior spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces has stated that the threat posed by Hamas cannot be eliminated because the jihadist group represents an “idea” that cannot be destroyed by military means, the Jerusalem Post reports.

During an interview with Israel’s Channel 13 TV station on Wednesday, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, head of the IDF Spokesperson Unit, said the Israeli government’s stated goal of destroying Hamas amounts to “throwing dust in the public’s eyes.”

“Hamas is an idea,” Hagari said. “You can’t destroy an idea. The political echelon needs to find an alternative – or it [Hamas] will remain,” Hagari asserted. Concerning the aim of finding and rescuing the dozens of Israeli hostages still captive in Gaza since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, Hagari said: “It is not possible to rescue all the hostages in military operations.”

The IDF and the office of Prime Minister Netanyahu quickly released statements rebutting Hagari’s assessments. “The Security Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has defined the destruction of Hamas’s military and governing capabilities as one of the goals of the war,” the Prime Minister’s Office statement read. “The IDF, of course, is committed to this,” the statement added.

In a separate statement Wednesday, the IDF responded: “The IDF is committed to achieving the goals of the war as defined by the cabinet; it has been working in this way throughout the war day and night and will continue to do so.”

“The commanders of the IDF and its soldiers fight with determination and persistence to destroy the military capabilities and the governmental and organizational infrastructure of Hamas in Gaza,” the IDF stated.