Top US officials openly describe the Israeli strategy in Gaza as “self-defeating,” likely paving the way for Hamas’s return and marking a level of criticism unseen since the war began in October. According to Politico, officials say the Israeli government “failed to control parts of Gaza after clearing them, turned civilian populations and the rest of the world against it through widespread bombing and inadequate humanitarian aid, and enabled Hamas to recruit more fighters.”
The newspaper reports: “The Biden administration fears that Israel is catastrophically squandering its chance to defeat Hamas and is losing its best opportunity to eliminate the movement’s control over Gaza and its threat to the Israeli people.”
A senior official in the administration, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan used his meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel last week to discuss how military operations could lead to achievable and enduring success against Hamas.”
In an interview with CNN on Tuesday, Netanyahu said: “We must get rid of Hamas, or else there will be no future for Gaza,” but recent US intelligence raises growing concerns that such an outcome is “impossible.”
According to the newspaper, citing US intelligence, while Hamas’s communications and military capabilities have deteriorated, only 30 to 35 percent of its fighters have been killed, and around 65 percent of its tunnels remain intact.
Biden officials have become increasingly concerned about Hamas’s ability to recruit thousands in recent months during wartime.
After more than 7 months of war in Gaza, Israel has failed to achieve its two main war goals it declared: the return of all hostages and the complete elimination of the Hamas movement in the sector.
