Prolonged war in Gaza may prompt civilians to join Hamas, top US general says

General Charles Q Brown

10 November 2023; MEMO: US President Joe Biden’s chief military adviser said that a solution to the fighting in Gaza could help stop pushing civilians to join the ranks of the Palestinian resistance.

“That’s why when we talk about time – the faster you can get to a point where you stop the hostilities, you have less strife for the civilian population that turns into someone who now wants to be the next member of Hamas,” General Charles Q. Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was quoted by Reuters as saying.

Brown added that it was a very big aim for Israel to completely destroy Hamas that has governed the Gaza Strip since it won the democratic elections held in 2006.

He also mentioned that Israel’s main objective was to target the top leadership of Hamas, a goal that could be achieved more quickly.

Brown told reporters before arriving in Japan yesterday that he believed the longer the conflict went on, the more difficult it could become.

With American and Western blessing and support, Israel launched a devastating ground and air attack on the Gaza Strip on 7 October, killing nearly 11,000 Palestinians and injuring almost 30,000 more.