"Hamas, which launched a war as the so-called guardian of Jerusalem, finished it as the destroyer of the Gaza Strip," IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi said Thursday in a speech at the graduation ceremony for a course at the IDF Military Colleges.
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Shortly before the event, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz announced that Kohavi's term as Israel's top soldier would be extended to a fourth year.
Kochavi listed a series of actions that had led to Hamas' "failure" in the latest Gaza conflict, including widespread destruction of its tunnels and infrastructure in IDF strikes and the thwarting of planned terrorist attacks.
The IDF chief stressed that Arab states had not supported terrorist activity by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and many had provided diplomatic support for Israel. He also stated that "the Arab street remained uninvolved, and unidentified [with Hamas]."
