Israel’s top army spokesman has said that Hamas cannot be eliminated, prompting a knee-jerk reaction from the government which quickly reiterated it remains committed to the Palestinian group’s destruction, AFP reports.

“To say that we are going to make Hamas disappear is to throw sand in people’s eyes. If we don’t provide an alternative, in the end, we will have Hamas,” Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told Israel’s Channel 13 broadcaster.

“Hamas is an ideology, we cannot eliminate an ideology.” His comments were quickly rebuffed by the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose cabinet has stated its Gaza offensive will not end until Hamas is defeated.

“The political and security cabinet headed by Prime Minister Netanyahu defined as one of the goals of the war the destruction of Hamas’ military and governmental capabilities,” his office said in a statement. “The IDF is of course committed to this.”

In a separate statement on its Telegram channel, the military clarified that Hagari had addressed Hamas “as an ideology… and his statements were clear and explicit”. “Any other claim is taking the statement out of context.”