The spokesperson for Israel's military (IDF), Daniel Hagari, says in an interview with Israeli Channel 13 that Hamas is an ideology, and that it is not possible to eliminate an ideology entirely.
Saying that we can make Hamas disappear is like throwing sand in people's eyes. If we do not provide an alternative, we will have Hamas in the end, he says.
A similar message has previously been conveyed by Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.
Hagari's comments were quickly dismissed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, which has consistently maintained that the goal of the war in Gaza is to destroy Hamas, both militarily and in terms of its ability to govern in Gaza.
"IDF is, of course, firmly determined to implement this," it states in the statement from the Prime Minister's office.
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