Israel's Army Admits Defeating Hamas Is Impossible After Its Soldiers Ambushed
Channel 13 reported that the most recent meeting of Israel's security cabinet was marked by intense tension and sharp disagreements between military commanders and government officials, highlighting increasing discord over the war's goals and strategy.
According to Yedioth Ahronoth, military sources within the Israeli army have expressed strong opposition to the idea of fully occupying the Gaza Strip, warning that such a move would come at an unsustainable military and economic cost.
They also conveyed deep concern over far-right ministers who are calling for a prolonged war, describing the notion of subjugating Hamas as 'impossible.'
Meanwhile, the American news site Axios cited a senior Israeli official saying that Hamas is demanding firm guarantees that the war will end, while Israel refuses to commit to a permanent ceasefire following any temporary truce.
This deadlock underscores the complexity of ongoing negotiations and the dim prospects for de-escalation.
Adding to the internal anxiety, Channel 12 reported that the Israeli Chief of Staff warned in a closed meeting that expanding ground operations in Gaza could endanger the Israeli captives held there, with the risk of their deaths increasing.
He admitted that the conditions for the captives are 'extremely dire,' a rare and stark acknowledgment of the military's failure to recover them after more than eight months of warfare.
June has proven to be the bloodiest month for Israeli forces since the start of 2025. Twenty soldiers have been killed in Gaza during the month alone, despite the Strip now being considered a 'secondary front' due to Israel's escalating military confrontations with Iran.
Yedioth Ahronoth reported that 15 of those soldiers were killed in fierce battles in Khan Younis on June 24, while another, from the Combat Engineering Battalion 601, was killed during fighting in northern Gaza on Sunday.
Although the frequency of clashes has reportedly decreased, battles between the Israeli army and Palestinian resistance fighters are ongoing. The paper, however, did not provide cumulative monthly casualty figures for 2025 so far.
Official data from the Israeli military shows that since the start of the Gaza war on October 7, 2023, 880 soldiers and officers have been killed, and over 6,000 have been wounded in what has become a prolonged and brutal campaign.
Despite Israel launching simultaneous attacks in Syria, Lebanon, and the occupied West Bank, and carrying out sporadic airstrikes in Yemen, Gaza has remained the central theater of Israeli military attacks until recently.
The outbreak of direct war with Iran has forced a strategic shift, prompting the redeployment of large numbers of troops from Gaza to other fronts.
Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi claimed the army is 'close to achieving its declared objectives' in Gaza. Yet, those soldiers still stationed in the Strip continue to face fierce resistance from Palestinian factions, who are effectively using improvised explosive devices, mortar shells, and guerrilla tactics to repel incursions.
On June 13, Israel, with direct U.S. military backing, launched a massive military assault on Iran. The 12-day campaign targeted military sites, nuclear facilities, and civilian infrastructure, killing hundreds, including senior military commanders and scientists.
Iran retaliated with a barrage of missiles and drones, many of which penetrated Israel's air defenses and inflicted heavy human and material losses.
While international and media attention have shifted toward the Iran-Israel war, Palestinian resistance in Gaza has not abated. At the same time, Israeli attacks on civilians continue relentlessly.
Since the beginning of the war, around 190,000 Palestinians have been killed or wounded, most of them children and women. Over 11,000 are still missing, as Gaza faces a devastating blockade, a spiraling famine, and a humanitarian crisis, all under an open-ended U.S. political and military umbrella.
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