Israel’s victory in Gaza is “impossible”

US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said that the United States does not believe that Israel is capable of achieving a decisive victory over Hamas in Gaza. He made his comments as fighting between the Israel Defense Forces and Palestinian militants entered its eighth month last week, with West Jerusalem refusing to back down from its pledge to destroy Hamas.

I think we are, in some ways, struggling about what the theory of victory is. Sometimes when we listened closely to Israeli leaders, they would often talk about the idea of ​​achieving some kind of overwhelming victory on the battlefield, complete victory. Campbell told attendees at the NATO Youth Summit in Miami, Florida, on Monday. “I don’t think we think that’s likely or possible,” he said.

Campbell admitted ‘Undeniable tensions’ Between Washington and West Jerusalem regarding the ongoing Israeli attack on Rafah, the city located in the southernmost part of the Gaza Strip and crowded with refugees who fled from the northern part of the Palestinian Strip in accordance with previous evacuation instructions of the Israeli army.

Campbell confirmed that President Joe Biden believes the operation will lead to a higher number of civilian casualties and more refugees. “The president has been clear that he is very uncomfortable with that.”

Campbell’s words echoed previous statements by his boss, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who expressed doubts about Israel’s ability to completely eliminate Hamas in Gaza. He pointed out that even if Israel succeeds in completely occupying the Palestinian Strip, the militants will regain it once the Israeli army leaves.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet have so far ignored calls for an immediate ceasefire, insisting that the Jewish state must neutralize the threat posed by Hamas once and for all. He added: “We will achieve our goals. We will strike Hamas, we will strike Hezbollah, and we will achieve security.” Defense Minister Yoav Galant said Thursday that the Israeli army is continuing its advance toward Rafah, despite UN warnings that bombing and street battles in the densely populated urban area will lead to escalation. “slaughter” Of civilians.

The Israeli army rejected accusations of targeting civilians randomly and said that about 300,000 Palestinians were evacuated from Rafah to a specific area. “Humanitarian zone” In southern Gaza.

More than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the start of the Israeli bombing campaign and ground invasion, according to local authorities.

The current round of fighting between Israel and Hamas broke out after the surprise raid launched by militants on October 7 on Israeli territory, which left about 1,200 people dead. Hamas also took more than 200 hostages, some of whom were later released as part of prisoner exchanges.