Israeli military spokesman’s Hamas defeat remarks widen rift with Netanyahu

Daniel Hagari says identifying defeat of Hamas as end goal of Gaza war means ‘throwing sand in people’s eyes’.

Al Jazeera is reporting from outside Israel because it has been banned by the Israeli government.

Israel’s military spokesman has exposed a widening rift between the country’s political and army leadership, questioning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s stated goal of destroying Hamas in the Gaza Strip for the war to end.

After nine months of war in which more than 37,000 Palestinians have been killed in the name of eliminating the armed group that governs the besieged enclave, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told Israel’s Channel 13 broadcaster on Wednesday that the task was impossible and simply “wrong”.

“This business of destroying Hamas, making Hamas disappear – it’s simply throwing sand in the eyes of the public,” he said. “Hamas is an idea, Hamas is a party. It’s rooted in the hearts of the people – whoever thinks we can eliminate Hamas is wrong.”

Reporting from Amman, Jordan, Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut said Netanyahu’s office was “fuming” at Hagari’s remarks.