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Blinken says Hamas replenished its losses

"Each time Israel completes its military operations and pulls back, Hamas militants regroup and re-emerge because there's nothing else to fill the void," the US secretary of state said

WASHINGTON, January 14. /TASS/. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Hamas has been able to make up for the losses it has suffered since October 7, 2023.

He made the comment in a speech at the Washington-based Atlantic Council (designated an undesirable organization in Russia).

"We've long made the point to the Israeli government that Hamas cannot be defeated by a military campaign alone, that without a clear alternative, a post-conflict plan and a credible political horizon for the Palestinians, Hamas, or something just as abhorrent and dangerous, will grow back," he said. "That's exactly what's happened in northern Gaza since October 7. Each time Israel completes its military operations and pulls back, Hamas militants regroup and re-emerge because there's nothing else to fill the void. Indeed, we assess that Hamas has recruited almost as many new militants as it has lost. That is a recipe for an enduring insurgency and perpetual war."

The situation in the Middle East sharply escalated following an incursion of Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip into Israel on October 7, accompanied by killings of residents of Israeli settlements near the border and taking hostages. Israel responded by starting a military operation in Gaza with the purpose of dismantling Hamas’ military and political organization and bringing back all the hostages.