Current sectionIsrael NewsIsrael SecurityReality Check A cease-fire agreement was signed last October, but as of August 2026, Hamas has not been defeated. The group has yet to disarm, and Israel continues to control a significant portion of the Gaza StripShare to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeIsraeli soldiers in Gaza.Israeli soldiers in Gaza.10:09 PM • August 28 2026 IDTSince the October 7 disaster and throughout two years of war, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly declared that Israel was on the verge of achieving "total victory" over Hamas. He has insisted not only that such a victory was attainable, but that Israeli forces were just weeks away from completing the mission. Time and again, reality has proved otherwise.Reality CheckPoliticians have lied since the dawn of time. But it seems like during the outgoing Knesset term, Israeli ministers and lawmakers took it even further, making false claims more confidently and more brazenly than ever before. Haaretz's Reality Check project aims to set the record straight: to cut through the spin and present the facts as they are.Click here to see more lies – and discover the truth for yourself.Two months into the war, at a Hanukkah candle-lighting ceremony held at the Western Wall on December 7, 2023, Netanyahu declared: "We will soon achieve total victory over the forces of evil and restore security not only to the south but also to the north."Three months later, at the start of a cabinet meeting in April 2024, he declared: "We are about one step away" from victory in Gaza.In August 2025, Netanyahu and his security cabinet set five objectives that had to be achieved before the war could end: disarming Hamas, securing the return of all the hostages, the complete demilitarization of Gaza, permanent Israeli security control including the perimeter zone, and the establishment of an alternative civilian administration that would be neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority.A cease-fire agreement was signed last October, but as of August 2026, Hamas has not been defeated. The group has yet to disarm, and Israel continues to control a significant portion of the Gaza Strip – beyond the Yellow Line set out to separate the sides in the agreement – while striking Hamas targets and operatives almost daily, with dozens of Palestinians killed every month. The IDF also assesses that Hamas has used the recent period to rebuild its capabilities.In January 2026, the Board of Peace was established by U.S. President Donald Trump, an international body led by the United States that is intended to administer the Strip through a Palestinian technocratic committee. In late July 2026, the Board of Peace and Hamas agreed on a framework for disarming the group, which is meant to lead to an Israeli withdrawal and the transfer of Gaza's administration to the Palestinian technocrats. However, the date on which the committee will begin operating has yet to be set, and Hamas remains the de facto authority in areas west of the Yellow Line.Under the current agreements, the IDF is authorized to control 53 percent of the Strip. In practice, Israel currently controls an estimated 60 to 70 percent of the territory, without international approval.In the NewsNetanyahu's Claim That Son Was Target of Iranian Assassination Remains UnclearWedding of the Year: Israelis Revel as Freed Hostage Emily Damari Ties the KnotDespite Trump's Claims, Reports of the Iran Deal's Death Are Greatly ExaggeratedHadash Rocked by Misconduct Allegations Against Candidate Ahead of ElectionHaaretz Hires Jewish Life, Young Generation Correspondents Amid U.S. ExpansionRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIAn Israeli Startup Is Reinventing Salmon Farming. It May Upend a Global IndustryHasan Piker Talks Hamas, anti-Zionism and Why Americans Are Fed Up With Israel'Israel Is Sending Militias to Commit War Crimes – and I Have to Protect Them'Being Israeli Abroad Has Become Embarrassing. You Don't Talk About ItIsraeli Court Acquits Man of Assaulting Nun in Jerusalem's Old CityPoll: Likud Sinks to 19 Seats as New Right-wing Party Falls Below Threshold