On Friday, February 23, 2024, the American newspaper "The New York Times" quoted Israeli security officials as saying that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's goal of destroying the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) "is still elusive," stressing that most of Hamas's tunnel network is still intact.

An Israeli military intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity under military protocol, said that Israel is engaged in a comprehensive mission to expose Hamas' military capabilities.

Israel launched its attack on Gaza after Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7, 2023, which was launched by the Palestinian resistance in response to Israeli violations, in which an estimated 1,400 people were killed, or the resistance detained Israeli prisoners.

Since then, Israel has confirmed that it has killed more than 10,000 resistance fighters, but it has not explained how it calculates the number, and analysts say that it is difficult to obtain an accurate number in light of the chaos of war, according to the newspaper.

Meanwhile, Israeli officials indicated that “the occupation army dismantled the leadership structure of 18 of the 24 Hamas battalions in Gaza, resulting in the killing of commanders, deputy commanders, and other officers, rendering the units virtually ineffective.”

But thousands of Hamas fighters, attached to the remaining brigades, or operating independently, remain above and below the ground, according to what the American newspaper quoted former and current security officials as saying.

Hamas has revealed little about its losses, although it has expressed public grief over the killing of at least two of its senior leaders, Ayman Nofal and Ahmed Al-Ghandour. The movement regularly issues statements saying it has attacked Israeli soldiers throughout the Strip.

Youssef Hamdan, Hamas' representative in Algeria, said this month: "The resistance is still capable of inflicting pain on the enemy."

Israeli analysts also added that during the recent fighting in Gaza, Hamas avoided direct confrontations with Israeli units, which Israel considered a sign of weakness.

But other experts say Hamas has a reason behind this strategy, and according to Western officials who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the issue, “Hamas leadership believes that if any significant amount of its military strength survives the war, it will be "Victory."

North Gaza

In northern Gaza, Colonel Noshi Mandel, chief of staff of the Nahal Brigade, which operates in northern Gaza, said: “Hamas has not been completely defeated in the northern Gaza Strip.” “We have accomplished a lot of work, but there is still more to do.”

Mandel added that the occupation army returned this month to the vicinity of Al-Shifa Hospital, which was the scene of fierce fighting in November, to fight the resistance who regrouped in the region, and will return to other parts of the north in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, current and former Israeli officials said, “Israeli forces will likely continue to invade northern Gaza to suppress the Hamas rebellion for the foreseeable future, at least until some kind of post-war political settlement for Gaza is reached.”

Khan Younes

Since the collapse of the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in early December, Israeli forces have advanced through the southern city of Khan Yunis – and headed west towards the Mediterranean. Israeli military officials said, "The city was one of the most important centers of Hamas' military activity."

The intelligence official said that Israeli forces are targeting the extensive network of tunnels belonging to the Hamas movement in and around the city. The official added that several key underground command centers had been destroyed, but most of the tunnel network remained intact.

Military analysts explained that "Hamas fighters clearly avoided confrontations with the army in Khan Yunis, hoping to outlast their opponents in their safe underground areas."

For his part, Amos Harel, a military affairs analyst for Haaretz newspaper, said, “The army is behaving very aggressively there without facing much competition from the other side.”

Over the past month, Israeli forces have focused on the western edge of Khan Yunis, which includes two major medical complexes — Al-Amal and Al-Nasser Medical Center — in order to target what officials described as the last bastions of organized Hamas resistance in the area.