To help explain what Israeli strategy and tactics# are, and what the future of Gaza may l I'm joined now by the Israeli# ambassador to the United States,## Michael Herzog.

He is a retired brigadier# general in the Israel Defense Mr .

Ambassador, welcome to the# "NewsHour."

Thank you for joining us.

MICHAEL HERZOG, Israeli Ambassador to the# United States: Good evening, Amna.

Than AMNA NAWAZ: So, as we mentio three-month mark.

We know the stated# goal o Hamas and ensure the horrors of# October 7 never happen again.

Can you update us on where you are on meeting# that goal?

How much of Hamas have you eliminated?

MICHAEL HERZOG: First, our goal is twofold.

It is to defeat Hamas, to remove the threat# of H their military infrastructure, their military# capabilities, and to dismantle their government## capabilities that built these military# capabilities and operated them on October 7.

Our second goal is to release all of our# hostages.

We still have close to 130 hostages,## including, by the way, Americans.

And we will do## everything possible in order to release# our hostages and bring them back home.

We are advancing our military operation in Gaza.# We are operating in both the northern part of Gaza## and the southern part of Gaza.

Our military# operation, in military terms, is effective,## in the sense that we are dismantling# the Hamas military infrastructure.## Hamas is deployed in five brigades and 24# battalions in Gaza.

It's an army of terror.

And it is a war which is not only# over ground, but in the subterrain,## because they built the biggest terror complex# in the world, stretching hundreds of kilometers,## where they host their leadership,# command-and-control centers and rockets.

So this is a big challenge.

And# -- but we are moving ahead.

And## I believe our military operation is effective.

AMNA NAWAZ: You say it's effective,## but what does yo dismantling Hamas?

How much of their# senior leadership have you targeted?

MICHAEL HERZOG: I'm going to -- not going# to put numbers on that, but I think,## in all the areas that we engage their# battalions in the city of Gaza, Khan Yunis,## and elsewhere, we were successful# in dismantling these battalions.

And I think we dealt a very severe blow to# them.

There are still several thousand armed## people in Gaza, and we haven't touched# all of them.

And we don't intend to run## after each and every one of them,# but to break the backbone of Hamas## in a way that they will no longer be able# to pose a threat to the state of Israel.

I think there's still a lot of military work to be# done.

They continue to this day to fire rockets at## the state of Israel.

And since the beginning of# the war, Hamas and other terror organizations in## Gaza fired over 11,000 rockets into Israel, and# they're still holding our kidnapped civilians.

So, there's still a long way to go, but# I think we're at the point where they## understand that they will be defeated militarily.

AMNA NAWAZ: I'd like to ask you about the video# we just reported on.

It was shar The New York Times verified it this morning.

It# seems to be a detention area in side a stadium in Gaza, men stripped# to their underwear, detained en masse.

Mr.

Ambassador, I'm sure you have# seen there seemed to be children## in that group.

And human rights groups say# that this violates inte of detention.

Is this practice# sanctioned by your administration?

MICHAEL HERZOG: So, first of all, I'm not# sure these pictures are from recent times.

We do -- when we arrest suspects... (CROSSTALK) recent times?

These were reportedly shot by# an Israeli pho MICHAEL HERZOG: I will say that we strip# people of their clothes in order to make## sure there are no explosive belts# or explosive charges or weapons.

And I think that is customary.

The fact that these# photos came out, I don't think this is our policy,## and I don't think this was sanctioned by# any people with authority in our government.

But I will say, from our experience -- you# talk about children.

We have 15-, 16-, 17-,## 18-old people who are part of the Hamas military# wing who carry weapons and fight our forces,## and they killed our soldiers.

So we make# sure that none of them has explosive vest.

But I want to differentiate between the very# act and the fact that these photos came out,## which, again, is not our policy.

AMNA NAWAZ: If this is not your policy, then# wh to be groups, large groups of men detained en# masse.

There were previous men detained en masse, similarly stripped, many# blindfolded, in the backs of military vehicles.

Why is this allowed to happen?

MICHAEL HERZOG: There were not pu people with mobile phones who take# photos.

You can't control all of it.

And, again, I'm saying it's not our policy# to put out these photos.

We are against it.

AMNA NAWAZ: I understand it's# not your policy to put them out,## but they are out.

They have been verified.

Why is this practice continuing to happen?

MICHAEL HERZOG: Because, when# you have a situation like that,## it is impossible to control each and# every mobile phone on the gr AMNA NAWAZ: No, sir, I apologize, not# why is the video coming out.

Why are your## military forces detaining men en masse,# including some children, in this way MICHAEL HERZOG: We are at war,## let's not fo We are fighting for our lives in Gaza.

And when# we have terrorists or suspected terrorists,## we detain them and we make sure they have no# weapons or explosive charges.

This is war.

AMNA NAWAZ: And what qualifies# people being suspected terrorists?

I mean, we spoke recently to the poet Mosab Abu# Toha, who said to evacuate with his American citizen son, he was# arrested, detained at the Rafah Border Crossing,## beaten and blindfolded for over two days.# When he was asked why he was being held,## he said the IDF soldier told him:# "You have to prove you are not Hamas."

Is that the policy by which# your soldiers are operating?

MICHAEL HERZOG: Here, we are fighting# against over 30,000 terrorists An d our soldiers get killed there every day.

So,# there are a lot of people who are terrorists,## and there are people who are suspected# of being terrorists, and they are being## detained in order to investigate and# see if that suspicion is right or not.

If it is not, we release them.

It is not our# policy to target innocent civilians or to go after## innocent civilians.

But we have to make sure --# we are talking about the protection of our forces,## who, as I said, are fighting a very, very# difficult war in Gaza and get killed every day.

AMNA NAWAZ: As we mentioned, that# death toll among Palestinians has now## risen over 21,000.

Women and children# reportedly make up We know your intelligence shows you how many# people you expect to hit in each strike.

And I## understand, according to reporting, some of those# constraints have been loosened.

You previously## used to tolerate dozens of civilians as collateral# damage.

That number has now risen to hundred Is there a limit to that number of how# many civilian casualties you tolerate?

MICHAEL HERZOG: Well, I totally disagree# with that.

And I reject that.

We do not## target civilians, and we're very# careful about collateral dam You cite Hamas numbers from Gaza.

There are no# other numbers, only Hamas numb cites Hamas numbers.

And we don't know exactly how# many people got killed.

We do know that innocent## civilians got killed.

It's a tragedy.

It's# a tragedy for every civilian getting killed.

But Hamas never tells you -- putting# aside not sure what the exact numbers are,## an organization that carried out a# massacre is capable of also putting## false numbers outside.

But we recognize# that civilians were -- got killed.

But## they never tell you what's the breakdown# between terrorists and innocent civilians.

Our forces claim that, in fighting Gaza, in# battle, we killed over 8,000 terrorists.

You## don't know the exact breakdown.

And you don't know# how many of them are women and children and how## many of them are terrorists.

These numbers# are out by Hamas, and nobody can verify it.

And let me give you an example.

When the# whole world accuse Israel of targeting a## hospital in Gaza a few weeks ago --# I'm sure you remember that -- Hamas## immediately put out that 407 people# got killed in that attack, where When the whole world got to the conclusion that# it was an errant Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket,## the numbers dropped dramatically# to dozens.

Did anybody ask Hamas,## where are the 471 people you claim to have# killed?

Do you still count them or not?

So, let's be very careful about the numbers.

I am# not here to claim that innocent civilians do not## get killed.

This is war, and it's tragic.

And# Hamas embedded itself in civilian population,## subterranean and over the ground and used# them as human shield.

And this is tragic.

But nobody really knows what the exact# numbers and the breakdown between## terrorists and civilians.

We are fighting# against over 30,000 armed people in Gaza.

AMNA NAWAZ: Mr.

Ambassador, I will just# clarify these numbers I was citing come## from the United Nations Office for# Coordination of Humanitarian I invite you to join us again.

MICHAEL HERZOG: Cite -- cite AM NA NAWAZ: We have... MICHAEL HERZOG: The Unit Hamas numbers.

They don't# have AMNA NAWAZ: Ambassador Michael Herzog,# Israeli ambassador to the Un we thank you for joining us.

Please do# come back and join us again sometime soon.

Thank you for your time.

MICHAEL HERZOG: Th