Only about a third of Hamas' fighters have been killed and around the same fraction of the group’s tunnels have been destroyed in the Gaza war, US intel has indicated, according to a report by Politico.
"Although Hamas' communications and military abilities have been degraded, only 30 to 35 percent of its fighters…have been killed and about 65 percent of its tunnels are still intact, U.S. intelligence indicates," the report says.
Israeli officials have alleged that a significant number of those killed in Gaza are Hamas fighters, but the report by American news site Politico, citing US intelligence, seems to dispute this claim, saying that not as many Hamas fighters have actually been killed.
However, the report does not specify if the Hamas members killed are active fighting forces.
Tel Aviv vowed to destroy the Palestinian group after it led a surprise attack on southern Israel on 7 October, resulting in the deaths of around 1,170 people and taking some 250 captives.
Israel's brutal military offensive on Gaza has killed over 35,000 people, mostly women and children. An additional 79,000 have been wounded in the same time frame.
Officials in US President Joe Biden’s administration have previously said they do not believe Israeli weapons can destroy Hamas' ideology, saying Israel’s "absolute victory" is out of reach.
