By Staff, Agencies A Knesset member has strongly disputed a recent claim by the "Israeli" army regarding its purported victory over a Hamas brigade.

Ohad Tal publicly criticized army spokesman Daniel Hagari’s assertion that the entity’s forces had “defeated” the Rafah Brigade, alleging the claim is untruthful.

Hagari had stated that the “Israeli” entity had killed over 2,300 Hamas fighters and destroyed more than 13 kilometers of resistance tunnels.

Tal, in a post on X [formerly Twitter], expressed his frustration, stating that the reality, as presented by security and military sources, is quite different.

He asserted that even if Hagari’s numbers were accurate, Hamas would still retain approximately 30-40% of its strength in Rafah.

Additionally, Tal noted that the Islamic Jihad movement, another Gaza-based resistance group, continues to maintain “thousands” of fighters in the area.

The army’s claim comes amid the ongoing conflict, which has seen the entity waging an extensive military campaign against Gaza since October 7.

According to Lebanon’s al-Akhbar newspaper, the “victory” claim is an attempt to pressure “Israeli” officials into negotiating a ceasefire and persuading Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reconsider his position on maintaining a military presence along the Philadelphi Corridor.

Netanyahu has disregarded international appeals to halt the war, which has claimed the lives of at least 41,118 Palestinians, predominantly women and children.

He has also ignored internal dissent demanding the release of captives held in Gaza.

Netanyahu remains steadfast in his commitment to continuing the offensive until Hamas is “eliminated,” despite the acknowledgment by Hagari in June that such a goal is unattainable, noting, “Hamas is an idea, Hamas is a party.

It’s rooted in the hearts of the people.”