The American newspaper The New York Times reported in an article published yesterday, Wednesday, that recovering around 115 Israeli hostages in Gaza cannot be achieved militarily. The American paper added that the Israeli army has inflicted significant damage on Hamas but will never be able to completely eradicate the movement. According to the newspaper, Israel has achieved everything militarily possible in Gaza, according to senior American officials, who say that the ongoing airstrikes only increase risks to civilians while the possibility of further weakening Hamas has diminished.
As the Biden administration races to get ceasefire negotiations back on track, an increasing number of national security officials across the government have stated that the Israeli army has severely damaged Hamas but will never be able to completely eliminate the group. Officials noted that Israeli forces can now move freely throughout Gaza, and Hamas is harmed. Israel has destroyed or seized vital supply routes from Egypt to Gaza.
According to The New York Times, the Israeli army stated last month that about 14,000 fighters in Gaza have been killed or captured. (U.S. intelligence agencies employ different, more conservative methodologies to estimate Hamas casualties, though the exact number remains unknown.) The Israeli army also confirmed that it has eliminated half of the leadership of the Qassam Brigades, Hamas's military wing, including the two main leaders Muhammad Deif and Marwan Issa.
However, one of Israel's biggest remaining objectives, recovering around 115 hostages—alive and dead—still held in Gaza following their capture during Hamas attacks on October 7, is deemed impossible to achieve militarily, according to current and former U.S. and Israeli officials. According to General Joseph Votel, the former head of U.S. Central Command, "Over the past ten months, Israel has managed to disrupt Hamas, kill several of its leaders, and significantly reduce the threat posed by Hamas." Votel added that Hamas is now a "weakened" organization, but that releasing the hostages in Gaza can only be secured through negotiations.
Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani, a spokesperson for the Israeli army, stated in a phone interview that "the Israeli army and its leaders are committed to achieving the war objectives of dismantling Hamas and bringing our hostages home, and they will continue to work diligently to achieve these goals," according to The New York Times. This latest American assessment comes as several officials in the administration spread throughout the region to try to secure a ceasefire deal in Gaza and possibly avoid a retaliatory attack by Iran and its allies in response to recent Israeli assassinations of senior leaders of Iranian-backed proxies, according to American officials.
