Families of hostages and supporters protest to call for the release of hostages kidnapped on the deadly October 7 attack by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, January 6, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini

i24 News – Israel’s stated dual goals of freeing the hostages and eliminating Hamas are now mutually incompatible, several senior Israel Defense Forces leaders told the New York Times, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

A report cites IDF generals as saying the goals of destroying Hamas and saving the hostages are incompatible.

'I don't believe Hamas. I don't think they'll deliver on a hostage deal. There never was a "win" on the table. Oct 7 is not about a win,' says IDF Col. (Res) Miri Eisin pic.twitter.com/4CfVeJIUKI

— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) January 20, 2024

The Israeli military spokesperson stated on Saturday that the statements didn’t represent the official position of the IDF.

The generals also spoke of a clash between how long Israel would need to fully eradicate Hamas — a time-consuming slog fought in the group’s warren of underground tunnels — and the pressure, applied by Israel’s allies including Washington, to wrap up the war quickly.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that the IDF has destroyed around two thirds of Hamas’ fighting regiments in Gaza, vowing to press on with the war until “complete victory.”

“There are two stages to the fighting; The first is destroying the Hamas regiments, those are their organized combat frameworks,” Netanyahu said at a news conference in Tel Aviv.

“Up until now sixteen or seventeen out of twenty four have been destroyed. After that there is the (stage) of clearing the territory (of militants). The first action is usually shorter, the second usually takes longer.”