The Israeli army claims to have killed “20,000 Hamas agents”

The terrorist organization was “seriously touched”. Just after his resignation, the Israeli chief of staff said on Tuesday that the army had killed some “20,000 Hamas agents” during the 15 months of war in the Gaza Strip against the Palestinian Islamist movement.

“The military branch of Hamas has been seriously affected. The majority of the organization’s management was killed, ”assured General Herzi Halevi in ​​a television intervention, a few hours after announcing that he would leave his duties in early March.

“Continue the dismantling of Hamas”

In his letter of resignation, General Halevi writes to recognize his “responsibility in the failure of the army on October 7” 2023, and therefore asks to “end”. He also admits that “the objectives of the war (have not all been achieved”, stressing that “the army will continue to fight to continue the dismantling of Hamas” and for “the return of (all) hostages” .

The attack on Hamas resulted in the death of 1,210 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on official data. Out of 251 people kidnapped that day, 91 are still retained in Gaza, 34 of which died according to the army. Following the entry into force on Sunday of the first phase of the truce, three hostages were released against 90 Palestinian prisoners. And Hamas announced that four other hostages would be released on Saturday.

After October 7, Israel launched in retaliation a devastating offensive in the besieged Gaza Strip, which left at least 47,107 dead, mostly civilians, according to data from the Ministry of Health of Hamas, deemed reliable by the UN, and caused a humanitarian disaster.