US officials warn that Israel may have reached its limits in Gaza war

Israel has likely reached the limits of what it can achieve through its war against the Palestinians in Gaza, according to several US officials cited by the New York Times today, who also doubt that the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) will ever fully eliminate Hamas.

“Israel has been able to disrupt Hamas, kill a number of their leaders and largely reduce the threat to Israel that existed before October 7,” General Joseph Votel, the former head of US CENTCOM, told the NYTimes. Hamas is now a “diminished” organisation, he added, while emphasising that the release of the hostages could only be achieved through negotiations.

Moreover, analysts cited by the newspaper compared Israel’s approach to dealing with the remaining members of Hamas to a game of “Whac-a-Mole”, expressing scepticism about its effectiveness.

“The IDF and its commanders are committed to achieving the goals of the war to dismantle Hamas and bring home our hostages, and will continue to operate with determination to achieve them,” responded the Israeli army.

Nevertheless, Dana Stroul, a former senior Middle East policy official at the Pentagon, pointed out that the resistance movement would continue to re-emerge in areas after the IDF declares them cleared, particularly without a long-term plan for security and governance in Gaza. “Hamas is a terrorist [sic] organisation — for them, mere survival is a victory,” she said.

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Ralph Goff, a former senior CIA official who served in the Middle East, added, “Hamas is largely depleted but not wiped out, and the Israelis may never achieve the total annihilation of Hamas.”

However, Yaakov Amidror, a former national security advisor and IDF major general, disagreed that Israel has reached its limits in Gaza, telling the newspaper that Israel can still achieve more. “If Israel evacuates its forces now, within a year Hamas will be strong again,” he claimed. “The military needs another two or three months in Gaza’s south and centre before shifting to year-long intelligence-based raids and strikes.”

According to the Times of Israel, the IDF reports that, as of May, it has killed approximately 15,000 “militants” in Gaza, with around 1,000 “terrorists” killed in Israel during the 7 October cross-border incursion. Israel also claims to have eliminated about half of the leadership of Al-Qassam Brigades, the Hamas military wing, including its head, Mohammed Al-Deif. He is alleged to have been the mastermind behind the 7 October attack by Palestinian resistance fighters.

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since 7 October last year. The Israeli onslaught has since killed more than 40,000 people, mostly women and children, and injured over 92,400 others, according to local health authorities. Over 10 months into the Israeli onslaught, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which it denies. Moreover, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court is seeking to issue arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as some Hamas officials, two of whom the occupation state has already murdered.

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