(Times of Israel) David Horovitz - Senior IDF officers are sounding increasingly upbeat about the progress of the war - and the process of dismantling Hamas's military capabilities. Gradually and inexorably, the tunnel threat is being reduced. While Hamas retains the capacity not only to target communities close to the border but also to fire at Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, Hamas is no longer easily able to smuggle in weaponry or components, and its rocket-making factories are broadly demolished. Half of Hamas's gunmen are dead, military officials believe, and most of the rest are no longer fighting. Most are no longer in the tunnels, and many are now hiding in the designated humanitarian areas. While its current capacities have been massively reduced, Hamas's ideology, goals and core purpose remain the destruction of Israel and the killing of Jews. Despite widely repeated Hamas claims that 90 people were killed, many of them civilians, in Saturday's attack aimed at Hamas commander Muhammad Deif, the IDF, which has shown reporters video footage of the attack, believes the death toll was significantly lower, that there were dozens of Hamas gunmen at the site, and that it is highly unlikely there were many civilian fatalities.
2024-07-18 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive