Israeli public ‘fed lies’ about defeating Hamas, commander says

The Israeli public is being “fed lies” about the progress made against Hamas, a senior military commander has said, warning the Palestinian movement will not be defeated for years.

In an interview with Ynet published on Friday, the unnamed officer stressed that dismantling Hamas is a “tedious” task that could take up to five years, with the military needing to return to Gaza to “mow the grass" constantly.

“In today’s populist era, the public is being fed lies and spins, just like they were before 7 October and after every round of fighting with Hamas,” the commander said. 

Hamas, he explained, still maintains “massive infrastructure” in Gaza. The fight against the group is far from over, he said.

“This is work that will need to continue for a year, for five years, to maintain the achievements. It doesn’t matter if the enemy is called Hamas, Islamic Jihad, or any other name,” he added.

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