Israel’s military has reported significant progress in its operations in Gaza over the past nine months, with around 14,000 combatants either killed or captured. This number, though unverifiable, reflects Israel’s efforts to weaken Hamas and achieve Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s goal of dismantling the organization.
The Israeli military stated on social media that it has eliminated approximately half of the leadership of Hamas’s military wing, the Qassam Brigades. This includes the deaths of 20 battalion commanders and 150 company commanders, key figures within Hamas’s forces.
During the conflict, Israel has targeted 37,000 sites in Gaza from the air, focusing on what it described as terrorist infrastructure and launch sites. While the number of targets struck does not directly correlate to the number of airstrikes, the intensity of the military campaign is evident.
Israel has been selective in releasing overall figures regarding the impact of the conflict. Previous statements have indicated that over 14,000 of Hamas’s estimated 25,000 fighters have been eliminated. Prime Minister Netanyahu previously mentioned in an interview that around 13,000 “terrorists” had been killed.
However, the recent report by the Israeli military provides limited detail on the 14,000 individuals labeled as terrorists who were reportedly killed or captured through late June. When questioned about the specifics, military spokespeople did not offer further information on the breakdown between apprehensions and fatalities, nor did they clarify the methodology used to identify combatants versus civilians.
