Hamas endgame is ‘long-term’ and is playing out for all to see as Israel pushes deeper into Gaza

Israel’s security cabinet overnight Thursday approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal to defeat Hamas, including taking control of Gaza City, after the Palestinian terror group torpedoed U.S.-mediated negotiations.

However, questions remain as to what the terrorist organization’s endgame is, and if they can be fully defeated.

“Hamas is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood. It is a radical jihadi organization with a written and spoken goal to annihilate the State of Israel and replace it with a Sharia-based regime,” Jonathan Conricus, former Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson and senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital.

“They operate according to that aim and objective. Hamas’s October 7 terror attack was part of how they planned to fulfill that goal—defeating Israel, killing all the Jews, and taking control of the area.

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“They are strategic, calculated, and extremely cynical—but definitely not suicidal,” he added. “They may employ suicidal tactics, but their strategic aim is long-term and deliberate.”

For example, Hamas’ “starvation” campaign generated significant international pressure on Israel, leading to steps such as the IDF announcing tactical pauses in fighting and facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip in coordination with international partners.

In the span of a week late last month, the leaders of France, the United Kingdom and Canada announced their intention to recognize a Palestinian state, which the Israeli government denounced as a reward for terror.

In a recent interview with Al Jazeera, senior Hamas terror leader Ghazi Hamad said, “The initiative by several countries to recognize a Palestinian state is one of the fruits of October 7.”

Conricus said that such recognition has emboldened them. “They’ve hardened their negotiating stance and made it clear they don’t feel the need to compromise—which, of course, has a direct impact on the lives of the Israeli hostages.”

U.S.-mediated negotiations aimed at securing a ceasefire and the release of the 50 remaining captives have stalled, with Hamas showing increasing inflexibility, according to officials familiar with the talks.

Last month, U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff said Washington was weighing “alternative options” as Hamas “does not appear to be coordinated or acting in good faith.”

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Palestinian affairs analyst Khaled Abu Toameh told Fox News Digital that Hamas’s position has been clear since the start of the war: to prevent Israel from achieving its objectives of removing the terror group from power and rescuing the hostages by force.

“It’s important for Hamas to be seen as emerging triumphant. They believe they’ve reached a point of no return.

“They know the international community will place the blame on Israel as the casualty toll rises. There is no pressure on Hamas to stop,” he added.

At the end of the day, Abu Toameh said, Hamas’s long-term strategy is to ensure its continued existence so it can carry on its jihad against Israel.

“October 7 was just another phase in this jihad,” he said. “It’s a jihad that began shortly after Hamas’s founding, when they unveiled their charter in 1988. The charter explicitly states that this land—the holy land, from the river to the sea—is Muslim-owned and will be liberated through jihad. It didn’t start with October 7, and it won’t end with October 7,” Abu Toameh warned.

Experts say to understand the terror group is to simply look at its founding charter, which describes the “struggle against the Jews” as “very great and very serious,” requiring “all sincere efforts.” It calls the Palestinian terror group “one squadron” of a wider Arab and Islamic force that must continue fighting until “the enemy is vanquished and Allah’s victory is realized.”