Hamas has “no incentive to disarm,” so the U.S. and Israel must work quietly to eliminate the group while maintaining the ceasefire framework, Lt. Col. Eric Navarro, the director of Military and Strategy Programs at the Middle East Forum, told Newsmax on Sunday.
“As soon as you take away their weapons, they’re under threat from not only their own population, but the U.S. and Israel,” Navarro said on Newsmax’s “Wake Up America Weekend.”
“I would look for the U.S. and Israel to take care of Hamas as covertly and quietly as possible,” he added.
His comments Sunday come after Israel said it struck Hamas militants in southern Gaza after they had shot at Israeli soldiers inside an area still under Israeli control, according to the conditions of the Oct. 10 ceasefire.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has directed the military to take “strong action” against any ceasefire violations and warned on Saturday that the war in Gaza would not be over until Hamas is disarmed and the territory is demilitarized.
Meanwhile, Navarro said President Donald Trump’s administration appears to be pursuing a broader Middle East strategy aimed at stabilizing the region and advancing “Abraham Accords 2.0.”
“There’s already diplomatic maneuvers toward Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and others,” he noted.
“He’s trying to truly transform the Middle East,” Navarro added, stressing that “the impediment to that is having front-line headlines about Gaza on a constant basis.”
Navarro added that Israel has proven capable of defeating Hamas on the ground but should now focus on empowering local forces to weaken the group internally.
“I don’t think they want to do [urban combat] again,” he said. “I would support the anti-Hamas clans and militias among Palestinians to go after Hamas themselves. That’s what those public executions were about, trying to reassert control.”
He said maintaining the appearance of a ceasefire while “systematically rooting out Hamas quietly” is the most effective path to long-term regional stability.
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