Israel concedes it may not be able to destroy Hamas

Despite five months of war in Gaza, Israeli intelligence officials admit the militant group eludes them

Palestinian flag in Gaza in 2009
"I would have definitely said" Israel can eliminate Hamas, but not now that the U.S. has "turned its back on Israel," an Israeli intelligence source said
(Image credit: Olivier Laban-Mattei / AFP via Getty Images)

What happened

Israel has significantly degraded Hamas and reduced its remaining fighters to guerrilla warfare, but the Israel Defense Forces may not be able to destroy the militant group despite five months of brutal war in Gaza, Israeli intelligence officials told Britain's Telegraph on Wednesday.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.