An Israeli military official said Tuesday that Hamas still has between 10,000 and 20,000 trained fighters remaining, after losing an estimated 20,000 during the war. The official told NBC News that Israel has destroyed up to 90 percent of the terrorist group’s rockets and has prevented Hamas from rebuilding its heavy firepower capabilities.
“The manufacturing sites and smuggling routes that Israel struck are extremely important,” the official said. “It’s not just taking away the fish, it’s taking away the rod.”
Maj. Gen. (res.) Giora Eiland, a former head of Israel’s National Security Council, told NBC that while Hamas has suffered severe losses, the group is still capable of reasserting its power in the Gaza Strip.
“It is easy for Hamas to regain power and it is very easy for them to recruit more and more people to replace those who were killed,” Eiland said. “Although they’re younger and have less military experience, there’s no doubt Hamas still has a lot of capability and enough personal weapons like small arms and RPGs.”
Eiland estimated that between 70% and 80% of Hamas’s tunnel network in Gaza remains intact, with many of the tunnels still unknown to the IDF.
Defense Minister Israel Katz said that following the ceasefire, the IDF is concentrating efforts on destroying the remaining tunnel system as part of the process of disarming Hamas. In one such operation, Maj. Yaniv Kola and Sgt. Itay Yavetz were killed by Hamas anti-tank fire.
Since Israeli forces withdrew to the “yellow line” from areas captured during the fighting, Hamas terrorists have reappeared in the streets of Gaza, seeking to project a return to normal life. At the same time, according to Israeli assessments, Hamas operatives have executed suspected collaborators with Israel in public.
Israel’s public broadcaster Kan 11 reported Tuesday that Hamas is secretly participating — with the knowledge of Arab mediators — in forming a technocratic government that will govern the Gaza Strip after the war.
According to the report, Hamas selected roughly half of the members of the proposed government, appointing individuals who support the organization and its principles, even if not openly affiliated with it. The Palestinian Authority chose the other half, reportedly with a tacit understanding that Hamas would have a say in the selection process.
Mediators, particularly Egypt, reportedly showed Hamas the full proposed list of cabinet members to ensure its approval. The report said the move would allow the terrorist organization to retain some degree of control over Gaza even after the war officially ends.