Israel to announce defeat of Hamas' military wing

Israel is preparing to announce the defeat of Hamas' military wing and the possibility of expanding the campaign against Hezbollah.

After the end of the fighting in Rafah, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) will move to the third phase of combat operations and will continue to conduct operations inside the Gaza Strip in a different way, Detaly.co.il reports.

The IDF hinted on June 17 that Rafah Brigade Commander Mohammed Shabana, who was assassinated in May, survived.

However, according to the IDF, two of the Rafah Brigade's four battalions are in a difficult situation and on the verge of total defeat, while the other two are at a medium level of readiness, so that about half of the Rafah Brigade is "in a problematic situation."

IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said two days ago that there is no realistic possibility of destroying Hamas, and called promises to do so "blowing sand in the public eye."

He said the only way to weaken the organization is to establish a new government in the Gaza Strip, which depends on decisions made by the Israeli government. "Hamas is an idea and it is rooted in people's hearts, whoever thinks we can eliminate it is mistaken," Hagari said.

In response to his words, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "The political-military cabinet that I lead has set as one of the goals of the war the destruction of Hamas' military capability and power, and the IDF is of course committed to that."