Jakarta, ThedailyID — Israeli Army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz that Hamas had suffered a military defeat.
Zamir also said the confrontation with Hamas was effectively over, according to a report published by Middle East Monitor on September 16, 2026.
He made the assessment during a closed-door security briefing earlier in September. The meeting took place as senior Israeli military commanders visited the Gaza Strip.
During the briefing, military officials reviewed intelligence on Hamas’ current capabilities and activities. One intelligence official warned that Hamas was trying to regain influence and rebuild control in Gaza.
The official also said Hamas remained a security threat despite Israeli military operations against the group. However, Zamir offered a different assessment of Hamas’ capabilities.
According to the report, Zamir argued that the intelligence assessment focused more on Hamas’ intentions than its actual capabilities.
He said Hamas had lost most of its military capacity. Meanwhile, the Israeli military continues to target Hamas infrastructure, weapons depots and senior leaders.
Zamir also pointed to Hamas’ inability to respond to several recent Israeli military operations. He viewed this as evidence that the group’s ability to confront Israeli forces had declined.
The assessment comes amid continued military activity in Gaza. Reuters reported on September 11 that Hamas’ armed wing said a senior commander, Mohammed Abdel Salam al-Yazouri, had been killed in an Israeli strike.
However, the broader situation remains contested. A United Nations rights official said on September 15 that the discovery of hundreds of bodies beneath destroyed buildings in Gaza had raised fresh concerns over possible violations of international humanitarian law. Israel has rejected allegations that it deliberately targets civilians.
Zamir’s statement therefore represents the Israeli military leadership’s assessment of Hamas’ current military capabilities. It does not by itself establish that all fighting or security threats in Gaza have ended.
