American officials announced that U.S. intelligence informed Congress members that Israel has weakened Hamas's combat capabilities, but it has not come close to eliminating the group, which is the main military objective of the Israeli government, according to the New York Times. Officials expressed doubts about whether the destruction or elimination of Hamas is a realistic goal, given that it operates as a guerilla force hiding in a network of tunnels that are difficult to penetrate. They indicated that weakening the militant group's combat power might be a more achievable objective.
U.S. intelligence officials refrained from giving specific estimates on the number of Hamas fighters killed, arguing that such estimates are neither accurate nor meaningful. They also pointed out that the U.S. has learned from war after war that counting casualties in insurgency or counter-terrorism operations is a foolish game. They explained that operations that kill militants often lead to the radicalization of others, resulting in an increase in the ranks of hostile organizations. They noted that casualty figures among fighters do not indicate whether the government has addressed the underlying issues driving the war.
