Posted on 06/06/24
| News Source: Arutz-7
Hamas is left with about 9,000-12,000 terrorists in the Gaza Strip, compared to the 20-25 thousand terrorists it had in the enclave before October 7, Reuters reported today (Thursday).
An IDF spokesman for foreign media told the news agency that "Israel cannot eliminate all Hamas terrorists or destroy all its tunnels, this is not a realistic goal. Destroying Hamas as a governing authority is an achievable military goal. There is no quick solution after 17 years of them building their capabilities."
American officials said that Hamas may continue to survive for many months, with the help of weapons smuggled into Gaza through tunnels under the Egyptian border, and the use of unexploded Israeli ordinance.
Reuters added that according to most estimates, between 7,000 and 8,000 terrorists are entrenched in Rafah.
An American source said that Hamas started a guerilla war in which the terrorists go out for a short time, attack, and immediately flee to avoid an extended battle with the superior IDF forces and to prepare for the next attack.