Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said, “Victory is in sight,” while addressing a joint session of Congress last July, which was doubted by CNN’s report published Monday morning.

Netanyahu has been claiming victory for weeks, using high-profile assassinations and targeted killings as propaganda to support his claims.

The stated goal of the Israeli war on Gaza has been the elimination of Hamas, and the Israeli Prime Minister has repeatedly announced that he will accept nothing else.

“The group (Hamas) appears to have made effective use of dwindling resources on the ground,” said the report. 

An estimated half of Hamas resistance fighters in northern and central Gaza have rebuilt some fighting capabilities and reorganized themselves after nearly 11 months of a gruelling war, according to the report. 

The Hamas units acted “salvaging the remnants of their battalions in a desperate bid to replenish their ranks,” added the report. 

The report said that, as of 1 July, only one out of 24 Hamas battalions is “combat ineffective,” having been destroyed by Israeli forces in the course of the war. 

On the other hand, eight Hamas battalions are “combat effective,” meaning they are completely operational and ready to conduct operations against Israeli forces. 

The remaining 13 battalions are described as “degraded,” so they can conduct sporadic guerilla-style attacks dealing minimal damage to Israeli forces, according to the report. 

The report noted that centre battalions are the least damaged, retaining the highest capacity and effectiveness on average. 

The report also stated that out of 16 battalions, which have been engaged the longest with Israeli forces in northern and central Gaza, seven have been able to reconstitute or rebuild some combat effectiveness. 

To support Netanyahu’s narrative of a close victory, billboards are displaying pictures of recently assassinated Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Mohammed Deif with the slogan “assassinated” reading in Hebrew above their heads in Tel Aviv. 

Netanyahu has also been accused of sabotaging peace talks by constantly upping his demands. 

Hamas officials, some analysts, protesters in Israel, and even US President Joe Biden have accused Netanyahu of prolonging the war to safeguard his hard-right ruling coalition.