Israel’s military says Hamas still fielded about 20,000 fighters and has thousands of weapons, including missiles that can strike far into Israeli territory. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that, although they have eliminated more than 22,000 Hamas militants in the last two years, the group has rebuilt its ranks.
According to the IDF, Hamas continues to guard a vast arsenal of small arms and hundreds of short‑range rockets. Several of those rockets could reach central Israel. The military also estimates that only one‑quarter of Hamas’ tunnel network remains intact, even though it claims most tunnels used for attacks and weapons production have been destroyed.
Before the war began, Israel estimated that Hamas had around 30,000 fighters in Gaza—larger than U.S. and Western estimates. Those fighters were organized into 240 battalions. Despite the IDF’s claims that the group’s military structure has been shattered, the IDF calls Hamas’s armed wing more of a guerrilla force than a standing army.
New recruits are said to pose less of a threat than older fighters and to lack serious training. Yet after the cease‑fire, Hamas’s troops returned in force across the Gaza Strip, launching a harsh crackdown on perceived opponents and civilians. The scale of their return mirrors what happened after the January cease‑fire, when hundreds of militants crowded streets to display their power.
Experts warned that the war’s brutality and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza have drawn new recruits desperate for food and revenge. Freed hostage Tal Shoham said some of his captors were former teachers and doctors who had been “brainwashed” by Hamas to carry out acts of terror.
As Hamas works to regroup and reassert control over Gaza, it remains unclear whether the group will comply with the U.S. demand to disarm and relinquish power under the current cease‑fire agreement.
Source: New York Post
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