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Hamas "Dismantled" but Not Destroyed, IDF Says

(Washington Post) William Booth - Israeli military briefers show journalists a map of Gaza illustrating the case that the IDF is steadily winning its battles - if not yet the war - against Hamas. The IDF says it has "dismantled" 20 of the original 24 Hamas battalions. Dismantled does not mean destroyed; its remnants are still capable of waging a lethal insurgency. The IDF could soon turn its focus to the four "completely operational" Hamas battalions in Rafah. The city is above a network of Hamas tunnels that the IDF suspects hold not only thousands of fighters, but also its "most wanted" commanders - alongside more than 100 Israeli hostages. The battlefield looks very different than it did a month or two ago. "It is now warfare. It is not a full-scale war. It is very different," said Amos Harel, defense analyst for Ha'aretz, describing the change in intensity and reduction of IDF forces active in Gaza. "The IDF tactical advantage is clear." There is less bombardment, less artillery and tank fire by Israel, and less ambushes, RPG assaults and sniping by Hamas. Far fewer Israeli soldiers are dying. Almost all of the Israeli reservists have gone home. After nearly six months of fighting, the Israeli military might not have complete control of the strip, but they have freedom of movement. Kobi Michael, a former head of the Palestinian desk at Israel's Ministry for Strategic Affairs and now a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies, said the IDF is now carrying out more precise raids - aimed at targets where its intelligence officers say Hamas is regrouping, such as Shifa hospital in Gaza City. In the early months of the war, Hamas launched more than 13,000 projectiles toward Israel. In the last two months, rocket fire from Gaza has become rare. Yet Hamas and its allies retain some capacity. Netanel Flamer, a senior lecturer at Bar-Ilan University and an expert on Hamas and asymmetric warfare, said that precision raids by IDF special forces on areas where militants are regrouping will be "the model" for future fighting. This will go on "for as long as it takes."
2024-03-27 00:00:00
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