Hamas ‘loses battle, wins war’ Netanyahu ‘fires defense minister’

Hamas ‘loses battle, wins war’ Netanyahu ‘fires defense minister’

A senior Hamas official told the New York Times that “the battle is lost, but the war is won,” and that “the Israeli army has been driven to exhaustion.”

Prime Minister Netanyahu’s ‘fired defense minister’ was reported in Israeli media, and Gideon Jarre, a member of the minority New Hope party with four seats in the Knesset, was named as the new minister.

The NYT reported in the Hamas article that “victory simply means survival, and for now at least, Hamas has done so despite being severely weakened,” and that “thousands of Hamas fighters and government officials continue to control large parts of Gaza, and in towns briefly controlled by the Israeli army, their eventual departure has left a void that has been quickly filled by Hamas and other armed groups.”
The NYT continued by saying that “some current and former Israeli security officials also believe that Hamas is unlikely to lose this war.” “Hamas is winning this war,” Major General Gadi Shamni, a former commander of the Israeli army in Gaza, told the Times. “Our soldiers are winning every tactical battle against Hamas, but we are losing the war, and in a big way.” Shamni continued, “While Israel has undeniably devastated Hamas’ military, Hamas recaptured towns in just ‘15 minutes’ after the Israelis withdrew,” adding, “There is no one who can challenge Hamas after the Israelis leave.” Shamni attributed the defeat to “the biggest failure of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s failure to introduce a realistic alternative governing mechanism for Gaza after the Israelis withdrew.” In late June, Israeli military spokesman Major General Daniel Hagari criticized Netanyahu’s suggestion that Hamas could be completely eliminated, publicly stating on Israel’s Channel 13 that “Hamas is an idea,” and that “anyone who thinks we can eliminate Hamas is wrong. The idea that destroying Hamas, eliminating Hamas, is possible is throwing sand in the public eye.”
Defense Minister Yoav Galland has been outspoken in his call for Netanyahu’s “total victory” slogan as “ridiculous” and is now facing dismissal.
The New York Times, citing Israeli media reports, said that “Netanyahu is considering firing Defense Minister Galland, effectively excluding one of the few Israeli officials who can speak with the Biden administration,” and that “Galland will be replaced by Gideon Jarre, whose New Hope party holds four seats in the 120-member Israeli parliament.” Former general Galant (65) is a member of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Likud party and has repeatedly taken a conflicting stance with Netanyahu on Israel’s war against Hamas and its allies.
Last month, he was the only one to vote against the Netanyahu cabinet’s decision to reject the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and the Egyptian border, which was a major obstacle to a ceasefire agreement with Hamas, and to thwart the ceasefire negotiations.
On the 16th, the year of the war, the New York Times reported a “Hamas victory” by interviewing a senior Hamas official under his real name.
Former Hamas leader and key architect Khaled Meshal told the New York Times in an interview that Hamas was winning the war and would play a decisive role in Gaza’s future. “Hamas is in the ascendant,” he said in an interview from Doha, Qatar. “Hamas is holding its own. It has worn down the Israeli military.”
“Many Palestinians in Gaza have fiercely condemned Hamas for its October 7 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people, accusing it of giving Israel an excuse to launch a massive bombing campaign that has left cities in ruins,” Meshaal said. The Times asked Meshaal to dismiss criticism of Hamas’s decision.
“He said that only a small number of Palestinians criticize Hamas, and that my responsibility as a Palestinian is to fight and resist until we are liberated,” the Times reported. “He acknowledged that the attack had caused enormous destruction, but he said it was the ‘price’ that Palestinians must pay for their freedom.”
When asked how the Hamas-led offensive had helped improve conditions in Gaza, given the devastation, he said, “It has not helped Israel.” “It’s not about achieving a military victory, but about making Israel realize that its policies are not sustainable,” he said. “Until October 7, Gaza was slowly dying. We were in a big prison, and we wanted to get rid of that,” he said of the Israeli surprise attack on October 7.