MOMENTUM: Two-thirds of Hamas forces – 20,000+ terrorists – have been neutralized, Israeli defense minister says
Hamas stronghold in Khan Younis almost fully captured, says Gallant
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL – Despite U.S. intelligence estimates that Israel has only neutralized 20% to 30% of Hamas terror forces in Gaza, senior Israeli officials say the number is significantly higher and they believe victory in the Gaza Strip is steadily approaching.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant briefed reporters on Thursday during a visit to the Hamas stronghold of Khan Younis, located in southern Gaza.
Gallant described the IDF as having significant momentum, having killed more than 10,000 Hamas fighters and seriously wounding another 10,000 terrorists.
In addition, the IDF has captured hundreds of Hamas operatives.
All told, the defense minister argues that Israel has effectively neutralized 20,000 – approximately two-thirds – of Hamas’ entire fighting force, estimated to be around 30,000.
What’s more, Israeli military intelligence believes that Hamas is running low on ammunition and rockets.
Gallant believes the IDF will soon fully control Khan Younis, which will allow it to then focus on Rafah, the southernmost city in the Gaza Strip on the Egyptian border.
“Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade boasted that it would stand against the IDF,” Gallant noted, but said that instead the brigade is being “dismantled.”
“I am telling you here, we are completing the mission in Khan Younis and we will also reach Rafah and eliminate everyone there who is a terrorist who is trying to harm us,” Gallant told Israeli soldiers, according to the Times of Israel.
Gallant called IDF gains in Khan Younis “very impressive.”
“They don’t have ammunition, they don’t have the ability to treat the wounded,” the defense minister said of Hamas.
“They have 10,000 dead terrorists and another 10,000 wounded who are not functioning.”
“It’s a blow that is eroding their ability [to fight], but you have to reach all the places,” he added.
“Before it launched this war against Israel on October 7, Hamas had an estimated 30,000 terrorists,” observed Mark Dubowitz, the CEO of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, a think tank based in Washington, D.C.
“That fighting force has now been two-thirds depleted, with 10,000 terrorists eliminated and another 10,000 terrorists who are wounded and not returning to the battlefield. Hamas is fast running out of hiding places.”
“The impressive pace of Israeli gains in this only four-month-old offensive may provide Israeli leaders with the latitude to enter a time-limited ceasefire for the recovery of hostages,” Dubowitz added.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
