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Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/09/world/middleeast/hamas-gaza-israel.html
Senior Israeli Officials Say Hamas Must Be Crushed
(New York Times) Steven Erlanger - Since its founding, Hamas has declared that Israel has no right to exist, that there are no Israeli civilians and that every Israeli citizen is a soldier of the state, and thus a legitimate target. The assault launched by Hamas this weekend, notable for its targeting civilians, including women and children, has now stripped away any remaining illusions about the group or its intentions. Senior Israeli officials now say Hamas must be crushed, both to restore stability in Gaza and credibility for Israel as an ineradicable part of the Middle East. Maj.-Gen. (ret.) Yaakov Amidror said, "It's a huge mistake that I made, believing that a terror organization can change its DNA. I thought that Hamas, because of its responsibility and because it's not only a terror organization, but also an organization with ideas about the future, a small branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, is more responsible, and I learned the hard way that it is not so, that a terror organization is a terror organization. We don't want to make the same mistake again. Hamas should be killed and destroyed....It is the last time that we can allow Hamas to be strong enough to attack Israel."