Israel is not close to eliminating Hamas and has so far only decreased the terror group's fighting capabilities, US intelligence officials told members of Congress this week, according to the New York Times.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stressed that the IDF's principal aim is to destroy Hamas, a goal he reiterated earlier this week following a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken.
Video: Six facts about the Israel-Hamas war in 90 seconds / X/@idf
According to NYT, the official said that eliminating Hamas is not an easy undertaking "given it operates like a guerrilla force, hidden in a network of tunnels that are difficult to penetrate," and that weakening it would be a more achievable objective.
Alongside destroying Hamas, Israel is also working for the release of hostages held in Gaza. It was announced this week that 32 of the 136 captives remaining in Gaza are dead.
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