It's been nearly six months since Hamas fighters swept from Gaza into Israel on October 7, killing round 1,200 folks and taking a whole bunch of hostages.
In response, Israel vowed to “crush and destroy Hamas” in order that it now not poses a menace, and to convey all hostages residence.
Within the brutal conflict that adopted, not less than 33,000 Palestinians had been killed, in accordance with the Hamas-run well being ministry, and enormous elements of Gaza had been destroyed.
Israel says it has killed 1000’s of Hamas fighters and destroyed a lot of the huge community of tunnels underneath Gaza, which Hamas has used to hold out assaults.
BBC Confirm combed via public statements and social media posts from the Israel Protection Forces (IDF) and assessed the proof behind Israel's said objectives.
What number of Hamas leaders had been killed?
Earlier than October 7, Hamas was thought to have about 30,000 fighters in Gaza, in accordance with studies citing IDF commanders.
Lots of Hamas' senior political figures, equivalent to Ismail Haniyeh, broadly considered the group's general chief, stay overseas. However a lot of its navy management construction is considered in Gaza.
In a latest assertion, the IDF mentioned it had killed about 13,000 Hamas fighters because the begin of the conflict, though it didn’t say the way it calculated that determine.
Israel additionally publishes the names of particular person Hamas leaders it says have been killed.
Since October, a complete of 113 folks have been named on this means, most of whom had been reported killed within the first three months of the conflict. As compared, the Israeli military didn’t report any senior Hamas leaders killed in Gaza this 12 months till March.
On March 26, the IDF mentioned it had killed Marwan Issa, deputy commander of Hamas' navy wing. Thought-about one in every of Israel's most needed males, he could be probably the most senior chief of the group to be killed because the starting of the conflict. The US has mentioned it believes he was killed, however Hamas has not confirmed.
The IDF publishes the names of people it says are senior Hamas leaders who had been killed, however it isn’t potential to confirm whether or not they belong to Hamas. A type of named on this class was Mustafa Thuraya, who was working as a contract journalist in southern Gaza when his automobile was hit in January.
We additionally discovered duplicate names within the listing, which we discounted from the full.
Exterior Gaza, Hamas political chief Saleh al-Arouri died in an explosion in Beirut's southern Dahiyeh suburb in January. Israel is taken into account liable for that assault.
Nevertheless, specialists we spoke to mentioned that most of the group's outstanding leaders in Gaza, together with Yahya Sinwar, are nonetheless believed to be alive.
“The IDF has not been capable of attain the highest of the Hamas management,” says Mairav Zonszein, a senior analyst on Israeli-Palestinian affairs on the Worldwide Disaster Group.
“Each on the symbolic degree of reaching the principle leaders, and likewise on the degree of changing Hamas because the holder of the territory, it’s one thing that he has not been capable of obtain,” says Ms. Zonszein.
What number of hostages stay in Gaza?
Based on Israeli official figures, 253 folks had been taken hostage on October 7. Of those:
The youngest confirmed dwelling hostage is eighteen and the oldest 85.
Of the remaining 130 hostages, Israel says not less than 34 have died.
Hamas says the variety of useless hostages is increased – the results of IDF airstrikes. However it isn’t potential to confirm these allegations.
The 2 youngest hostages taken within the Hamas assaults had been Ariel and Kfir, who had been 4 years and 9 months previous respectively on the time of their abduction. Their deaths have been reported, however not confirmed.
How a lot of the Hamas tunnel community has been destroyed?
As a part of its pledge to get rid of Hamas, Israel has promised to destroy the group's community of tunnels underneath Gaza, which it makes use of to maneuver items and folks.
“Consider the Gaza Strip as a layer for civilians after which one other layer for Hamas. We are attempting to achieve that second layer that Hamas has constructed,” IDF spokesman Jonathan Conricus mentioned in October.
Hamas has beforehand mentioned its tunnel community stretches for 500 km (311 miles), though there isn’t a approach to independently confirm this.
We requested the IDF what number of tunnels, and what quantity of the full tunnel community they destroyed. Of their response, they mentioned their forces had “destroyed a big a part of the terrorist infrastructure in Gaza.”
The IDF has often proven proof of Hamas tunnels they’ve uncovered. For instance, in November, the IDF launched video footage of a part of a tunnel community underneath the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza Metropolis that it mentioned was getting used as a command middle.
To attempt to decide the extent of the general community found by Israeli forces, BBC Confirm reviewed all IDF messages on the social networking platform Telegram that referred to the tunnels in Gaza, between 7 October 2023 and March 26, 2024.
Of those, 198 point out the invention of tunnels, the place the military mentioned it had positioned tons or tons. One other 141 messages say {that a} tunnel has been destroyed or dismantled.
Most of these didn’t give exact particulars or particular places, so it isn’t potential to corroborate the extent of the community that the IDF found or destroyed.
The labyrinth underneath Gaza consists of a number of elements, together with tunnel routes and rooms of varied sizes, in addition to the purpose at which the tunnel meets the floor – these are generally known as tunnels.
Of the messages we analyzed, 36 referred to hitting a complete of greater than 400 tons. Nevertheless, equating a tree to a complete tunnel could be deceptive, says Dr. Daphné Richemond-Barak, an professional in underground warfare who teaches at Reichman College in Israel.
Merely destroying the tunnel shafts leaves the community intact, he says. “I don't suppose we've seen loads of full destruction of tunnels on this conflict,” he provides.
Israel's offensive has come at a excessive value
Israel's conflict goals have come at an immense value to the Palestinians in Gaza. Greater than 33,000 folks had been killed, in accordance with the Hamas-run well being ministry.
The ministry's newest demographic breakdown from April 5 signifies that greater than 70% of these killed had been ladies and kids.
Many others have been displaced and left homeless as Israeli forces try to destroy Hamas infrastructure. Greater than 1.7 million folks have been internally displaced, in accordance with the United Nations.
Residential areas had been left in ruins, busy streets diminished to rubble, universities destroyed and farmland cleared.
Greater than 56% of Gaza's buildings have been broken or destroyed since October 7, in accordance with evaluation of satellite tv for pc knowledge.
Six months after the beginning of the conflict, it’s nonetheless unclear whether or not Israel has met its objectives within the conflict.
Extra reporting by Rob England, Maryam Ahmed, Jamie Ryan and Emma Pengelly.
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