Israel sees Gaza war lasting at least 7 more months
- Hamas is unlikely to be defeated before the end of the year, Israeli national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi says
- The comments will do little to raise the spirits of mediators from the likes of the US and Qatar, as talks on a ceasefire and hostage deal remain deadlocked
Israel probably will not be able to defeat Hamas before the end of the year, its national security adviser said, underscoring the difficulty the country faces in achieving its stated aim of crushing the Islamist group in Gaza.
“We have another seven months of fighting to deepen the achievement and attain what we define as the destruction of the governmental and military capabilities of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad,” Tzachi Hanegbi said pm Wednesday in an interview with state broadcaster Kan.
Islamic Jihad is a separate anti-Israel militant organisation that also has fighters in Gaza.
Hanegbi reiterated Israel’s position that the near eight-month war in the Palestinian territory is “justified” and “necessary” to preserve national security after the attacks by Hamas militants on October 7, which killed about 1,200 people and abducted 250 others.
The resulting conflict amounts to a battle with Iran, he said, which supports Hamas among other Islamist groups around the Middle East.
“Iran is a superpower that has sent its proxies to surround us in a sort of chokehold, in order to exhaust us,” Hanegbi said. “They know they are not going to conquer Tel Aviv, but they want to break us, they want us to lose our way of life. They want people to stop moving to Israel and want others to leave the country.”
