IDF Chief of Staff Declares Hamas Defeated During Security Briefing

IDF Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir stated during a security briefing that Hamas has been defeated and broken as a military force, despite ongoing attempts by the terror group to rebuild its governance and capabilities in the Gaza Strip. Speaking before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, Zamir emphasized that the organization no longer responds militarily in the manner it once did, following extensive targeted eliminations and infrastructure destruction by the military.

Strategic Assessment of Hamas

While the head of the Intelligence Directorate's Research Division warned that Hamas seeks to reassert control, recruit new operatives, and exploit humanitarian aid distribution, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir maintained that the group's operational capacity is severely crippled. The military currently controls roughly 64 percent of the strip, including key border crossings, which severely restricts smuggling operations and weapons replenishment.

"Hamas is a defeated organization. It does not fire, we eliminate its depots, we eliminate its senior commanders and those who carried out the October 7 massacres. It does not respond, and therefore it can be said that Hamas has been defeated," stated Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir.

Ongoing Security Challenges

Despite the significant strategic blow, defense officials acknowledge that Hamas has not surrendered, disarmed, or abandoned its founding ideology targeting Israel. The group continues to levy taxes on incoming humanitarian shipments to fund recruitment efforts, though it faces severe difficulties in enlisting new commanders due to ongoing precision strikes by the Southern Command.