US intelligence indicates that Israel has only killed 30 to 35% of Hamas fighters who were members of the Palestinian group’s military wing before October 7, POLITICO reported on Tuesday.
Biden administration officials also believe Hamas has been able to recruit thousands of new fighters. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown warned back in November 2023 that Israel’s killing of so many civilians in Gaza would help Hamas recruit.
US intelligence also indicates that 65% of Hamas’s vast tunnel infrastructure remains intact, another sign of the resiliency of the Palestinian group even as Israel has decimated most of the Gaza Strip.
It’s unclear from the POLITICO report exactly how many Hamas fighters the US thinks have been killed. The Wall Street Journal reported in January that the US estimated Hamas had 25,000-30,000 fighters before October 7, plus thousands of police officers.
US officials have indicated that they never thought Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s goal of “eradicating” Hamas was realistic, yet the Biden administration has strongly backed the slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza with military aid and diplomatic support.
On Monday, Brown and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin both criticized Israel for failing to protect civilians and for allowing Hamas to reconstitute itself in areas Israel claimed it cleared. “Not only do you have to actually go in and clear out whatever adversary you are up against, you have to go in, hold the territory and then you’ve got to stabilize it,” Brown said.
At one point Ante Pavelić tried to sell Dalmatia “back” to the Italians during WW2. The day he did that, he created 100,000 new partisani soldiers
Indeed – it’s very likely Al-Qassem has more forces today than 8 months ago. They must be overwhelmed with volunteers.
Also similar to the Yugoslav Partisans and Viet Cong, Al-Qassem has weapons workshops, hospitals, barracks, and supply warehouses in their underground fortress.
The IDF has thrown a tenth brigade into the Gaza meat grinder – the poor Nahals. IDF command must be desperate to deploy the battered Nahals.
“Al-Qassem has weapons workshops, hospitals, barracks, and supply warehouses in their underground fortress.” All this requires power. The IDF should have knocked out the power supply to Gaza. The IDF should have cut electricity lines going in to Gaaa. Blow up the power plants that exist in Gaza. Then after that, destroy every diesel and gasoline storage tank. Follow it up by not allowing new fuel to to go into Gaza.
The IDF already attacked all the power plants and fuel storage tanks.
Time for you to study the Tunnels of Chu Chi and the Yugoslav Partizan underground networks. You might learn how they function
And maybe destroy their health care system and starve them to death. Oh wait, they’re already did/doing that. That’s just two things you won’t have to add to your wish list you sick motherfucker. But that’s just you supporting the REAL terrorists.
So at this rate we will have to kill 100,000 to get more or less all of HAMAS not counting the HAMAS that the eradication process will create. There is no plan, reactionary vengeance is the only plan
Another estimate pulled out of somebody’s rear end.
I was just about to say that.
Avril Haines’
IDF has undoubtedly killed a lot of the Hamas Brigades people, when RPG armed teenagers in tee shirts take on main battle tanks in a street fight the winner is usually the tank. However they have plenty of volunteers.
Hardly – combat footage shows lonely IDF armor abandoned by their Infantry. Easy pickings for Al-Qassem to pop up, fire off a RPG or lay a charge, then dash down into their underground fortress.
Since 2.Oct; 186 Merkavas are claimed to have been destroyed on all fronts. Many more Merkava has been struck but only damaged.
combat footage can be found on the various anti-genocide news services – here is a typical round up of daily fighting from Wednesday with some combat footage. Illuminating
https://www.palestinechronicle.com/sniping-three-at-a-time-resistance-roundup-day-229/
Continuously dealing with endless death, destruction and human suffering, there is much we can learn, so we may avoid such mistakes in the future of all of us. Live and learn but indeed, never forget the lessons for all of humanity. Live but indeed, do learn.
“thinks”
really. you couldn’t make this shit up.
every one of us is a freakin genius.
hey raise your hand if you are a genius!
geniuses unite!
what
No doubt from among the survivors of these horrors Hamas has as many new recruits as it wants. It will emerge bigger, and more motivated, and more filled with righteous hate.
And many more people will die. The longer Hamas hangs on, the more people in Gaza will die.
Are you suggesting it’s an explicit goal of the IDF to kill civilians to blackmail Al-Qassem ?
You missed his point moron. Israel isn’t accomplishing anything except creating more “terrorists”.
I agree, but when did accomplishing genocide become nothing?
‘killed 35% of Hamas fighters’. Sure they did. That is if you count every adult male killed by the IDF is a Hamas fighter. They are killing everything that moves.
They have no idea how many tunnels there are. The initial estimate was 500km, then it was 750km, now it’s up to 1,000km – which means they have no clue. The same applies to how many Hamas fighters there are and how many have been killed. Meanwhile, Israel refuses to say how many of their troops have been killed and wounded.
We can see from the videos that Israel is taking significant losses while there are almost ZERO videos of actual Hamas fighters. Every Hamas video shows at least one, and usually several, Israeli soldiers being hit while the Hamas attackers escape unharmed. Unless a Hamas fighter is caught in the open by a drone or happens to be under an artillery strike, most of them are still functional.
As Scott Ritter has pointed out, Israel’s bombing off Gaza has produced a rubble-strewn mess which can’t be easily patrolled by the Israelis while the one and two-man Hamas units can easily come up from tunnels and hide in the ruined buildings and “snipe” Israel troops with .50 caliber sniper rifles and hit tanks and bulldozers with RPGs, then dive back into the tunnels before Israel can call in counter-strikes. Israel can’t win that game.
Indeed – after an ambush, the IDF calls in arty or airstrike on empty rubble – cuz’ the fighters scoot underground.
One wounded IDF infantryman says he was fighting ghosts.
Round up of latest fighting on Southern and Northern Fronts. Video of a 6 hour ambush + firefight
https://www.palestinechronicle.com/not-ordinary-guerilla-warfare-resistance-roundup-day-230/
Doesn’t Matter… Instead, US should think of how to sympathize and provide a shoulder for Israel to Cry on after completely losing to Hamas fighters and the Collapse of its state…!
The repeat of the Crime Minister/Biden hug is coming up soon…!
Anybody believes that? If this were so, how did Hamas show up in the NORTH after a mile-wide corridor was built separating north from South, bases and houses errected to make sure no civilians can go back home, ever.
The corridor razed through major part of the city as well as of what is left of agricultural land. And US pier just “happens” to be at the Mediterranean end of the military corridor? No food of note distributed so far.
Israel is very good against helpless people. And Israel will — barring any intervention — be sucessful.
Lack of food and water works. It is a merciless math. Humans, especially young, sick or old will die quickly of dehydration. Resistance will die with them. No people — no resistance.
This is why Israel can now slow down Rafah operations. And wait out for the inevitable. They may even feed them just a bit for photo op — to demonstrate Western values.
This is a clear geopolitical message. Anybody dare to stop US?
US has dropped the need for diplomacy since the end of Cold War. For a while now it has been all about bullying, insults, derision, supremacy with not a shred of resoect of those not our vassals. Message? You want to stand up for your interests? Dear friend — like Modi for example — we can smear you and accuse of anything as day is long.
Because war is the most profitable racket and the 0.01% that is becoming immensly rich would not have it any otber way. But they are willfully ignoring that many countries will not allow being run over. Nuclear drils are now underway in Russia just as US said openly what was clearly done before — it is OK to strike Russian cities, like Belgorod, Israeli style. .
Greek historian Tucydides said that wars are fought because of fear, for interest or for honor. In todays language — prestige.
While the 0.01% are after interest, politicians wrap it up in fight for PRESTIGE. We cannot back off anywhere. We cannot be respectful in treating others as equal human beings — one cannot compromise lest it look like weakness. And the loss of “prestige”. . A cookie pattern policies are thus predetermined. 0.01 can congrstulate themselves,
The problem is US electorate. Quite accustomed and comfortable with bullying, the disrespectful, commandiering, nasty language directed at other countries. We demand they be mindful of their inferiority. Only small minority in this country notices this arrogance.
All Western institutions with the lofty goals of upholding internationnal law – are tainted. ICC, ICJ — good examples. ICC will take its sweet time to rule on anything not in the interest of the hegemon, unless hegemon approves any action for tactical reasons.
ICJ is the court for Africans. As were its predecessors set up to sit in judgment of civil wars in former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. Pets rewarded. The principle of “worthy” and “wortless” victims established. Amply displayed in blood curling Israel proclamation of “no moral equivalence” of victims.
ICJ ruling on Israeli leadership accountability for Gaza is worthless. Its ONLY objective is to repair the badly damaged international reputation. Mostly for domestic purposes in the West.
In vain. The prosecution of another African, President Putiin, revealed in full glory the court’s mission. Accusing Russia of kidnapping children. Removing orphanages from the war zone was responsible thing to do — not to this court. This was the logical outcome of the mission of this court — establishing Western colonial moral supremacy over the world’s unworthy peoples. The global Africans therefore DO understand ICJ tactics in recommending arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Galant.
The global Africans also know that the 30% destroyed Hanas is nothing more than expected number of people in Gaza that will die in 1-2 months unless water, food and basic medicines — like antibiotivmcs — are provided. I very much hope I am wrong.