- Hamas fighting force reduced by half - US officials
- Group relying on ambushes, improvised bombs, they say
- Such tactics could sustain a lengthy insurgency
- ‘There is no quick fix,’ says Israeli military
WASHINGTON, June 6 (Reuters) - Hamas has seen about half its forces wiped out in eight months of war and is relying on hit-and-run insurgent tactics to frustrate Israel’s attempts to take control of Gaza, U.S. and Israeli officials told Reuters. The enclave’s ruling group has been reduced to between 9,000 and 12,000 fighters, according to three senior U.S. officials familiar with battlefield developments, down from American estimates , opens new tab of 20,000-25,000 before the conflict. By contrast, Israel says it has lost almost 300 troops in the Gaza campaign. Hamas fighters are now largely avoiding sustained skirmishes with Israeli forces closing in on the southernmost city of Rafah, instead relying on ambushes and improvised bombs to hit targets often behind enemy lines, one of the officials said.
It’s like the Israelis watched us do both Iraq round 2 and Afghanistan, and instead of seeing it as a cautionary tale, they were like “hmmm yes this is excellent”
All they learned was they have to eliminate or displace everyone then take it over rather than it’s a dumb idea
To add to this: Netanyahu has been on trial for corruption for years, and he’s been using the war as an excuse to avoid holding elections, which he would lose.
When the war ends, Bibi is going to jail. And would you look at that? He’s in a permanent war! What are the odds.
Don’t have to win any hearts and minds if there aren’t any hearts or minds left taps forehead
It’s that exact reason that the US right wing continues to liken Oct. 7 to 9/11. They believe that disproportionate retaliation is somehow justice.
If Trump wins in November, you can be sure Israel will bomb and pave every last bit of Palestinian territory.
If Trump wins in November, you can be sure that Trump will send squadrons of B-52s to carpet bomb Gaza and the West Bank into dust and call it “assisting Israel with their territorial security”.
Removed by mod
Good, keep thinning those numbers out. Close to zero is the goal.
You talking about civilians?
I read it as thinning out hamas fighting force. You know…like the story is about.
Insert guy holding a butterfly “Is this hamas?” meme
Exactly, fuck Hamas
Title says Hamas.
Actions up to this point say “any Muslim”
Evacuating civilians, calling phones and dropping leaflets to get civilians further from harm is a strange way to do that but ok.
deleted by creator
People either have a hate boner for me or support Hamas, in both cases, you need help 😂
Depends if your definition of “hamas” includes Palestinian civilians, which I suspect it might.
Of course not, civilians are stuck in the middle because of Hamas.
Right. And Israel has the right to actually defend itself. Where the issue happens is that indiscriminate bombing in densely populated areas does not constitute “self defense.” Nor does sniping journalists, dropping precision munitions on aid convoys, dropping thousand pound bombs on refugee camps, using white phosphorus anywhere near a city, collective punishment such as cutting access to aid and water for millions of people (actual war crime by the way), or literally anything that’s occurred in the west bank.
So when people say they support Palestine, that’s what they mean. Not hamas. Don’t be disingenuous.
Not all people, don’t be naive. Many want the Jews to disappear and don’t give two F’s what happens to them.
Remember when people chant “from the river to the sea” , what it actually means.
The slogan From the River to the Sea is about Palestinian liberation that started in the 60s by the PLO for a democratic secular state, not Genocide. The Syrian leader Hafez al-Assad in 1966 maybe, but he’s not Palestinian.
Maybe that’s where it originated, but it’s not why they chant it now.
They want Jews gone from that area, one way or another.
Correct me if I am wrong but it sure as hell seems like this is the aspiration of Israel to slowly evict all Arabs and Palestinians out of Israel or make their life hell, in order for them to revolt and give them an excuse for ethnic cleansing.
And let’s not forget that Israel prior to its founding had less than 10% of the population in modern day Israel.
So stop pretending that Israel is only fighting for self-defence and see what’s happening in the West bank and how they actively are trying to make the lives of all non Israeli citizens unbearable. Occupying the West Bank, uprooting olive trees, building checkpoints. Sorry but I am pretty sure if you were personally a subject to those restrictions you wouldn’t be happy either.
Yes, you’re wrong.
Many Palestinians live within Israel peacefully. Many other Muslims do as well.
Imagine a jew even trying to set foot in Gaza where Hamas is in control.
They even block Jewish people from entering the temple, whereas any Muslim can freely explore Israel.
It seems you’re all for open borders in all countries, and that’s just a recipe for disaster.
