"We are on the way to inevitable victory," a term reiterated by Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Galant, and Herzi Halevi. However, according to a document prepared by the Israeli Military Intelligence Directorate, it now poses a long-term threat to Israel.
The intelligence document confirms that Hamas still enjoys genuine popular support and is capable of survival even if the army succeeds in destroying its governing organizational structure.
Furthermore, it is capable of combat, even in the form of an armed group waging guerrilla warfare.
This document has contributed to the internal debate within Israel towards the necessity of reaching a prisoner exchange deal and developing a plan for the post-war period.
This has been the focal point of the discussions within the War Cabinet, which met late into Thursday night amid deep disagreements between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Cabinet members Benny Gantz and Gadi Eizenkot.
Gantz and Eizenkot protested their exclusion from decisions related to the negotiating team in the prisoner exchange deal, prompting Netanyahu to withdraw the Mossad and Shin Bet chiefs from the Cairo talks unilaterally. Additionally, there were discussions on how to handle US demands and battlefield developments.
The cabinet meeting came hours after talks by CIA Director William Burns in Tel Aviv and a new phone call between US President Joe Biden and Netanyahu. The latter declared his rejection of international dictates regarding the Rafah attack and post-war peace.
On the ground, Israel responded to South Africa's demand to prepare an emergency plan to protect refugees before any invasion of Rafah. It affirmed its intention to expand the ground invasion concurrently with the heightened threat to the lives of prisoners in Gaza due to intensified fighting and Israeli expansion.
This document must be taken seriously, as Hamas is an ideological organization, not one dependent on individual figures. Deciding to eliminate one person does not eradicate the organization.
Hamas also has a supportive base globally and in major universities worldwide. Therefore, using the term "inevitable victory," which is half-military and half-political, is unrealistic.
Military victory requires a severe blow to the movement, which would take years to recover. As for eliminating Hamas as an ideological organization, it is a far-fetched goal.
The proposed US plans remain contingent on one central element: the prisoner exchange deal and ceasefire.
Without these, it won't be easy to push through such plans.
Additionally, there is confusion within the US administration, as they are promoting a plan without Israel's approval, which includes recognizing the Palestinian state.
This serves Netanyahu politically, but the United States does not want such a move. Therefore, the Americans acknowledge this confusion and are attempting to advance, hoping that Israel will agree to their plan.