US says Hamas retains 'significant force posture' but Israel has hurt ability to command

Hamas remains a formidable fighting force in the Gaza Strip, the US has said, despite months of indiscriminate Israeli attacks that have wrought devastation on the enclave's civilian population.

The US has estimates for the number of members of the Palestinian group remaining, but National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said he was "loath" to reveal this rough figure.

"But Hamas still has a significant force posture inside Gaza," he said at the press briefing at the White House on Wednesday.

However, Kirby said Israel has "without question" had an "effect on Hamas's ability to command and control itself, to resource itself, and, quite frankly, to lead their troops".

"They [the Israelis] themselves have said that they have targeted and been successful against a range of leadership of Hamas, certainly at the brigade level and higher," he said.

"They've gone after a lot of the mid-range and lower-level fighters as well."

It comes amid Israel's brutal war on Gaza, which has so far killed more than 22,300 people and seen ambulances, hospitals, residential buildings, and places of worship attacked.

South Africa has lodged a case at the International Court of Justice alleging Israel is engaging in "genocidal acts against the Palestinian people in Gaza".

With Israel's war on Gaza entering its third month, Kirby acknowledged on Wednesday the limits of what could be achieved with a military campaign alone.

He said the US does not believe it's likely the Israeli assault is "going to get rid of every single Hamas fighter".

"So, in that sense, I mean, you still have to… reconcile yourself with the fact that there may still be some Hamas around even when your military operation is over," he added.

"That said, what they… absolutely can do is eradicate the threat that Hamas poses to the Israeli people."

Kirby said the US believes it is "absolutely an attainable goal" for Israeli forces to "degrade" and "defeat" Hamas's abilities to carry out attacks inside Israel.