
IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari admitted on Wednesday that it would be impossible to eliminate Hamas.
"Hamas is an idea," he explained in an interview with Channel 13, "Whoever thinks that it's possible to make it disappear is mistaken. It's the Muslim Brotherhood."
When asked if the Palestinian Authority could replace Hamas in the Gaza Strip, he answered that "the political echelon has to decide. Saying that it's possible to destroy Hamas and to make it disappear is to throw dust into the public's eyes."
Hagari committed that the security forces would eliminate Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, "He will make a mistake and it will happen."
The Prime Minister's Office issued a response to Hagari's statement: "The Security Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has defined the destruction of Hamas' military and governing capabilities as one of the goals of the war. The IDF, of course, is committed to this."
The IDF Spokesperson issued a clarification following the publication of the interview: "The IDF is committed to achieving the war's objectives as laid out by the Cabinet, it has been working day and night throughout the war and will continue to do so."
It added: "The commanders of the IDF and its servicemen and women are fighting with determination and persistence to destroy the military capabilities and the governmental and organizational infrastructure of Hamas in Gaza, a clear military objective.
Regarding Hagari's statements, the IDF emphasized that "the IDF Spokesman discussed the destruction of Hamas as an ideology and an idea, and he said that clearly. Any claim otherwise is taking his words out of context."