New York Times: There is no sign of the decline of Hamas’ military power

According to the report of Fars News Agency International Group, the New York Times wrote in an analysis written by one of the newspaper’s senior analysts on West Asian issues that doubts about Israel’s ability to destroy Hamas have intensified.

Neil McFargohar, whom the New York Times introduces as one of the veteran analysts and writers of this newspaper and other American media in the field of West Asian issues, at the beginning of this analysis, assured Osama Hamdan, the representative of Hamas in Lebanon. He mentioned that this group cannot be removed.

According to this report, Hamdan recently held a press conference in his office in southern Lebanon while standing in front of a gray tribune decorated with Hamas emblems. And a symbol of a gunman standing celebrating the October 7 attack said: “We are not worried about the future of the Gaza Strip.” Only the Palestinian people make the decision.” According to the New York Times analyst, Osama Hamdan, with these words, actually had one of Israel’s main goals in attacking Gaza, which is to dismantle its political and military capabilities. He questions Hamas. According to Israeli officials, the attack by Hamas on October 7 killed about 1,200 people, and more than 100 people are still being held hostage by this group.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu even Despite the spread of international criticism of the Israeli army’s operations in Gaza, he has repeatedly emphasized that this war will not end unless this goal is achieved. At the same time, the US President Joe Biden’s administration has sent several representatives to Israel, calling for Israel to move with a milder and more targeted phase in this war.

McFargohar writes: Both inside and outside Israel have questioned whether the determination to destroy an organization with such deep roots seems realistic at all.” In an interview with the New York Times, a former adviser to Israel’s internal security described Israel’s goal as “ambiguous.” “I think we have reached a point where the Israeli authorities have to be more specific about their ultimate goal,” Macron said this month. The complete destruction of Hamas? Does anyone think this is possible? If this is to happen, this war will last 10 years.” According to this report, Hamas has survived repeated attempts to remove its leaders since its inception in 1987. Is. Experts in military and political issues say that the structure of this organization is designed in such a way that it can digest such developments. In addition, Israel’s destructive tactics in the Gaza war may turn wider segments of the Gazan population toward anti-Israeli views and aid Hamas’s reinforcement operations.

A New York Times analyst writes: Analysts believe that the most optimal outcome for Israel is to weaken the military capabilities of Hamas so that this group no longer has the ability to repeat the deadly attacks of October 7. But even this limited goal is considered a difficult and exhausting task. According to this analysis, Hamas is rooted in the ideology that opposition to Israel’s control over Palestinian lands must be met by force. be accompanied and this is the principle that according to experts will remain.

Tahani Mustafa, a senior analyst of Palestinian issues at the “International Crisis Group” think tank, says: “As long as this background is maintained You will face groups similar to Hamas. To assume that you can root out such an organization is wishful thinking.”

The Israeli army announced this week that it had 8,000 Hamas fighters, estimated to be between 25,000 and 40,000 strong. He killed Beshen. But it is not yet clear how these statistics are collected.

According to the New York Times, the Israeli army has sometimes presented positive prospects of progress in achieving military goals and claimed that it will soon be able to control take control of the entire northern areas of Gaza.

Nevertheless, Benjamin Netanyahu admitted on Sunday that “the war has cost us very heavily.” On the same day, the Israeli army announced that 15 soldiers had been killed in the last 48 hours alone. Rockets are still being fired from southern Gaza into Israel on a daily basis, although their number has decreased compared to the past.

Michelle Milstein, a former Israeli intelligence officer, stated that some officials of the Israeli war cabinet He criticized that Hamas is on the verge of collapse and said such statements may lead to the formation of wrong expectations about the length of the war. Milstein said: “They have been making such statements for some time. They say that Hamas is declining. This is not true at all. We are facing tough conflicts every day.”

The Israeli military recently distributed leaflets in Gaza promising cash rewards to those who identified Hamas leaders. In this announcement, he wrote: “Hamas has lost its power.” They cannot hatch eggs. The end of Hamas is near.

The Israeli army promised a reward of $400,000 for information about Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, and $100,000 for Mohammad al-Dhaif. McFargohar’s writing of these promises shows the hardships faced by the Israeli army to eliminate the leaders of Hamas. According to this analyst, it is believed that the senior leaders of Hamas, along with most of its fighters, are hiding in deep tunnels in Gaza. have taken. Although the Israeli army claimed to have destroyed 1,500 tunnels, experts believe that the tunnel network of Hamas has remained intact to a large extent. are hundreds of miles long and the Israelis call them the “Gaza Metro”. rejects Hamas is showing that it still has a lot of capability for military aggression.”

Giora Eiland, a former Israeli officer who has a history of chairing Israel’s Internal Security Council, also told the New York Times that Hamas has shown that It has the ability to immediately replace its commanders who are killed with others who are equally capable.

Iland said: “From a professional point of view, I have to acknowledge their resilience. I don’t see any signs of the collapse of Hamas’ military capabilities or their military power to continue ruling Gaza.”

One ​​of Israel’s first attempts to destroy Hamas dates back to 1992. At that time, Hamas sent 415 of its allies to other places and settled them in a safe area near the border of Lebanon and Israel. During the few months they were there, these people established close and powerful relations with the Lebanese Hezbollah group.

According to the New York Times, a series of assassinations of political, military and religious leaders of Hamas was also able to weaken This group did not exist.

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