Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserted on Monday that he was close to eliminating Hamas, the governing body of the Gaza Strip, despite conflicting statements from his military officials.

Netanyahu, speaking to cadet soldiers, stated, “I returned yesterday from a tour of the Gaza Division. I saw great achievements of fighting that is being carried out in Rafah. We are nearing to the end of the elimination phase of Hamas’s terrorist army. There will be a continuation of hitting its remnants.” He reiterated his stance that the fighting will cease only with the complete defeat of Hamas.

However, this claim was contradicted by his army spokesman, who recently stated that eliminating Hamas entirely was an impossibility.

The ongoing conflict has seen growing opposition among the Israeli public. The army has managed to rescue only a handful of hostages after nine months of intense fighting, which has resulted in mounting casualties. Since October, 674 Israeli troops have been killed in Gaza, with over 2,000 injured.

Despite declarations of having defeated Hamas in many areas, Israeli troops have had to repeatedly engage with Hamas soldiers in neighborhoods previously declared captured. Additionally, Hamas has continued to launch rockets into southern Israel, challenging Israeli claims that its military capabilities have been significantly degraded.

The conflict has also seen significant loss of life in Gaza, with over 37,700 people killed since last October. In January, the International Court of Justice issued a preliminary ruling indicating that Israel was plausibly committing genocide in Gaza.