Speaking at the Atlantic Council conference in Washington on Tuesday, Blinken said Hamas’ repeated resurgence across Gaza after more than a year of intense fighting proves that the war will not end anytime soon if Israel maintains its current strategy.
“We’ve long made the point to the Israeli government that Hamas cannot be defeated by a military campaign alone, that without a clear alternative — a post-conflict plan and a credible political horizon for the Palestinians — Hamas, or something just as abhorrent and dangerous, will grow back,” Blinken said. “That’s exactly what’s happened in northern Gaza since Oct. 7,” he added. “Each time Israel completes its military operations and pulls back, Hamas militants regroup and reemerge because there’s nothing else to fill the void.Indeed, we assess that Hamas has recruited almost as many new militants as it has lost.” (Read More)
