Israel: ‘Grinding down’ Hamas will take years

US officials suggested that Hamas would remain a force after the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza while Israeli officials said that “grinding down” the movement may take years, the New York Times reported.

American officials said that the “tunnels will allow Hamas to survive and reconstitute once the fighting stops,” adding that “Hamas is likely to remain a force in Gaza when the fighting is over.”

They noted that “how quickly it can rebuild will depend on Israel’s decisions in the next phases of the war and in its aftermath.”

“Israel should declare victory over Hamas and move to a different kind of fight,” they said, adding that his next phase is “one that targets senior Hamas leaders but does not brutalise civilians.”

They also pointed out that “Israel has not developed a plan to evacuate civilians from Rafah,” and without one, the death toll in Gaza — already over 34,000 — “will climb even higher.”

In the same report, the New York Times quoted Israeli officials as saying that “grinding down Hamas may take years.”

Israeli officials added that “the group and other militant organisations still have many forces above and below ground.”

According to the newspaper, “Israeli officials say they believe it is only the looming operation in Rafah that has kept Hamas in negotiations.”

The newspaper quoted an Israeli military intelligence official as saying, “4,000 to 5,000 fighters have held out.”

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