'We will not eradicate Hamas,' says former Israeli general 

Israel will not be able to eradicate Hamas and, if troops stay in Gaza for months, then hundreds of soldiers will die, a former Israeli general has warned. 

In an op-ed published on Haaretz, Major General (res) Itzhak Brik said it will take many months and even years to fulfil the goals set by the government. 

"What is the point of continuing to fight inside Khan Younis and achieving tactical achievements that will not collapse Hamas or eradicate its rule?" said Brik, a long-time critic of army preparedness. 

He added that if combat continues for the next six months in Khan Younis and the central Gaza refugee camps, then hundreds more soldiers will die and thousands will be wounded.

"It is most likely that Hamas will not be eradicated and will continue to control the Rafah camps and have free access to the north of the Gaza Strip and its centre through hundreds of kilometres of tunnels that will take us years to destroy if indeed we succeed in doing so."