FALCON POWERS – Senior U.S. administration officials are publicly describing the Israeli strategy in Gaza as a “self-defeat” and it is likely to open the door for the return of Hamas, a level of criticism not seen since the start of the war in October.
According to Politico, officials say “the Israeli government failed to control parts of Gaza after clearing them, turning civilian populations and the rest of the world against it through widespread bombing and inadequate humanitarian aid, and enabling Hamas to recruit more fighters.”
The report states that the Biden administration fears that “Israel is disastrously wasting its chance to achieve victory over Hamas, and losing its best chance to eliminate the movement’s control over Gaza and its threat to the Israeli people.” A senior administration official, requesting anonymity, said: “National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan used his meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel last week to discuss how military operations can lead to a viable and lasting success against Hamas.”
In an interview on Tuesday with CNN, Netanyahu said: “We must get rid of Hamas, or there will be no future for Gaza,” but the latest U.S. intelligence raises increasing concerns that such an outcome is “impossible.”
According to what the newspaper reported from U.S. intelligence, although Hamas’ communications and military capabilities have deteriorated, only 30 to 35 percent of its fighters have been killed and about 65 percent of its tunnels remain intact.
Biden officials have also become increasingly concerned about Hamas’ ability to recruit thousands in the past few months during the war.
After more than 7 months of the war in Gaza, Israel has failed to achieve the two main war objectives it announced, which are the return of all hostages and the complete elimination of the Hamas movement in the Strip.
