Gallant: ‘Hamas No Longer Exists as a Military Force in Gaza’

After nearly a year of conflict, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced on Tuesday that Hamas’s military capabilities have been significantly weakened, stating that the group no longer functions as a formal military force in Gaza.

“Hamas as a military entity no longer exists. They are now engaged in guerrilla warfare, and we continue to fight their terrorists while pursuing their leadership,” Gallant said during a briefing with foreign journalists.

Gallant also expressed support for an agreement on the release of hostages as part of a Gaza ceasefire deal, viewing it as a “strategic opportunity” for Israel to address broader security concerns.

He emphasized that bringing the hostages back is “the right thing to do.” In the past, Gallant has clashed with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and hardline ministers, urging them to pursue a deal that would pause the conflict and facilitate the return of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

Pressure on the Israeli prime minister has mounted over the course of months to agree on a prisoner swap deal with Hamas.

In July, the Israeli defense ministry stated that they had eliminated more than half of the leadership of Hamas’s military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, and either killed or captured over 14,000 Hamas fighters out of an estimated 30,000 to 40,000. However, Hamas has not confirmed these figures.

During the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, the group took approximately 250 hostages and killed around 1,200 people.

Earlier, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a ceasefire and offered the UN’s assistance in monitoring any truce. However, he acknowledged that it was “unrealistic” to expect the UN to play a role in Gaza’s future governance, as Israel would likely reject such involvement.

“The suffering we’re seeing in Gaza is beyond anything I’ve witnessed as secretary-general of the United Nations. The level of death and destruction in recent months is unprecedented,” Guterres said.

He added, “We stand ready to do whatever the international community asks, but the key question is whether the parties, especially Israel, would accept it.”