The rift between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the country's military leadership became more open after the armed forces' chief spokesman said that Netanyahu's goal of destroying "Hamas" in Gaza is unattainable, reports the "Wall Street Journal", quoted by BTA.
"The idea that we can destroy "Hamas" or to make "Hamas" to disappear is misleading to the public," army spokesman Daniel Hagari told Israeli television.
The comment was a rare direct rebuke by the military of how Netanyahu has framed the main goal of the Gaza war, which he says is "total victory" over "Hamas" and return of Israeli hostages held by the group. The prime minister has repeatedly stated that he will not accept an end to the war without the eradication of the group as a military and ruling power.
Netanyahu's office has pushed back against Hagari's comments.
"The Security Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Netanyahu, has determined the destruction of the military and governmental potential of "Hamas" as one of the aims of the war. The IDF (Israel Armed Forces) is of course committed to this goal," the office said.
The exchange of positions was an illustration of the months-long tension between Netanyahu and the country's military leadership, which claims that "Hamas" it can only be defeated if Israel replaces it with another governing body in Gaza. During the more than eight-month war, the Israeli military invaded parts of the Gaza Strip to see how "Hamas" is being restored in the areas as Israeli forces withdraw.
"What we can do is grow something different, something to replace it," Hagari said Wednesday. According to him, "politicians will decide" who to replace "Hamas".