Israel 's military has returned to northern Gaza to take on Hamas several months after claiming to have dismantled the group in the area. Israeli military spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, said on Jan. 8, the army has “completed the dismantling of Hamas’s military framework in the northern Gaza Strip," and yet he told AFP on Friday, "Hamas was in complete control here in Jabalia until we arrived a few days ago.
" His comments, roughly five months apart, highlight the complex and difficult realities of achieving Israeli leaders' goals of destroying Hamas militarily and removing them from their governing position. "The combat teams of the 7th and 460th Parachute Brigades under the 98th Division expanded during the day the fighting spaces in Jabalia and deepened the operational control of the area," The IDF said on X . Israeli troops started their military operations in northern Gaza and have progressively moved south in a sweep of the enclave.
But, they have not occupied the area they've swept, instead leaving those areas effectively ungoverned, allowing for Hamas to attempt to reconstitute. "I’m a little surprised though, in terms of the IDF's operations, that they’ve allowed Hamas to return to areas the military already cleared," former U.S.
Secretary of Defense Mark Esper told the Washington Examiner. "I’m not sure why they’re doing that. I don’t know if it’s a manpower issue or what.
“ This isn't the first time Israeli forces have had to go back to a lo.