The Times of Israel reported on September 15 (local time), Osama Hamdan - a senior official of Hamas shared with AFP that this force has enough resources to continue fighting Israel despite suffering many losses in more than 11 months of war in Gaza.
“The conflict is likely to continue. There have been many sacrifices. In return, we have gained experience and recruited new generations into the fight,” Osama Hamdan said, without providing any evidence for his claim.
His statement came less than a week after Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told journalists that Hamas no longer exists as an army in Gaza.
“The number of casualties is much lower than expected in a battle of this size, level and scope,” Mr. Hamdan said on September 15.
Israel said it killed about 17,000 Hamas fighters in the battle and another 1,000 inside Israel on October 7, 2023. According to the Israel Defense Forces, on the eve of the conflict, Hamas estimated its forces at about 30,000.
In its figures on the number of people killed in the war so far, the Gaza Ministry of Health does not distinguish between civilians and soldiers. The figure currently stands at more than 40,000.
Israel says it has sought to minimize civilian casualties. It also insists that Hamas is using Gazans as human shields. Since the start of the conflict, 344 Israeli soldiers have been killed in combat.
Months of talks to secure a ceasefire - brokered by the US, Egypt and Qatar - appear to have hit a deadlock once again.
