US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell revealed that President Joe Biden's administration does not believe that Israel will achieve "complete victory" over Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

During a NATO youth summit in Miami, Campbell said, “In some ways, we find it difficult to define what the theory of victory is. And sometimes when we listen closely to Israeli leaders, they often talk about the idea of sweeping victory on the battlefield. "A complete victory."

He added: "I don't think we see this as likely or possible. This is very similar to the situations we found ourselves in after the events of September 11, where the insurgency continues after the transfer of the civilian population and a lot of violence."

The nature of victory

CNN quoted the US Deputy Secretary of State as saying, "We are wrestling with Israel over the nature of victory in Gaza. We do not believe that the complete victory that Israel seeks to achieve is likely or possible."

This comment is considered the first actual American acknowledgment that the current Israeli military strategy will not achieve the result it aims to achieve.

Campbell's statements come at a time when Washington is warning Israel against moving forward with a major military attack on Rafah, the city located in the far south of the Gaza Strip, where more than a million people displaced from the northern Strip due to Israeli attacks are taking shelter.

"I think we see that there has to be more in terms of a political solution, and what is different from the past in this sense is that many countries want to move towards a political solution in which the rights of Palestinians are more respected," Campbell said. "I don't think it has ever been more difficult than it is now," he added.

Hamas remains

In the same context, the Israeli newspaper "The Times of Israel" quoted an American official as saying that the process of marginalizing Hamas will take years.

The American official said that Hamas will remain in Gaza in some form after the end of the war, and that Washington's goal is to limit the movement's ability to carry out an attack similar to the October 7 operation.

It is noteworthy that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeatedly pledged to achieve “complete victory” over Hamas after it launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israeli bases and settlements, which killed 1,200 soldiers and settlers, and captured 250 others, according to Israeli figures.

As a result, Israel launched a continuing aggression against the Gaza Strip, which has so far led to the death of more than 35,000 Palestinians, most of whom are women and children.

The Israeli aggression destroyed the infrastructure and health, educational and service facilities in the Gaza Strip, and led to the displacement and starvation of the population.

Source: Al Jazeera + Reuters + Israeli press