Israel is falling short of its goal to quickly eradicate Hamas as it has only killed 20% to 30% of the terrorists’ estimated 30,000 militants, according to US intelligence.
More than three months into the war that’s devastated Gaza, Hamas retains the majority of its fighting force with enough munitions to continue firing at Israel and IDF soldiers for months, officials told the Wall Street Journal.
The estimate comes amid IDF claims that about 9,000 Hamas terrorists have been killed since the start of the war, including about 1,000 during the Oct. 7 massacre that killed more than 1,200 Israelis.
The US estimates that Hamas has between 25,000 to 30,000 members, a more conservative estimate than Israel’s, which pegs the terrorists’ fighting force at 30,000 or more.
The US is also contradicting Israel’s claim that as many as 16,000 Hamas fighters have been wounded in battle, with about half too badly injured to return to the front lines.
American officials estimate that only 10,500 to 11,700 terrorists have been wounded, with many of them eventually returning to battle, the Journal reports.
The IDF has declined to comment on the American figures. Hamas has yet to comment, but the group frequently denies that it has suffered heavy losses in the war.
The estimates from intelligence officials raise questions about the feasibility of Israel’s goal to destroy Hamas and concerns over the growing civilian casualties in Gaza.
The death toll has now surpassed 25,000, with many believed to be women and children, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health, which does not differentiate between civilians and terrorists.
With the updated figures, the ratio appears to be similar to last month’s estimates where the Israeli military acknowledged that about two civilians have been killed for every dead Hamas terrorist in Gaza, a ratio an IDF spokesperson labeled as “tremendously positive.”
The IDF has assessed that the war will likely continue throughout 2024 as it works to dismantle Hamas’ operation in Gaza and free the more than 130 Israeli hostages still in captivity.
Following victories in northern Gaza and pressure from the US to scale back the war effort, Israel has also begun removing some soldiers from the Palestinian enclave to undergo training and rest.
But because of the likelihood of Hamas forces remaining strong across the enclave, the US has warned that Israel will continue to see the terror group resurge in northern and and central Gaza.
Such incidents have already occurred, with the IDF reporting rocket fire from central Gaza earlier this week, just days after Israeli soldiers cleared much of the area.
Similar attacks have taken place in the north, where the Israeli military previously touted that Hamas had lost its “operational control,” with the IDF focusing on the south since December.
This highlights the concerns of several Israeli officials who have warned that despite the IDF’s advancements in Gaza, Hamas will continue to return and try to reassert itself in areas where Israel has either left or scaled back its forces.
Despite criticism from his own war cabinet on the direction of the fighting in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated Thursday that the fighting will carry on until the Islamist militant group is crushed.
