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From Haaretz:

Hamas Strengthens in Gaza Despite Ten Months of War, CNN Reports

Rachel Fink
Aug 5, 2024 3:21 pm IDT

According to the report, only three brigades have been fully destroyed, while Hamas has merged degraded cells and enlisted new recruits. 'Hamas' presence in northern Gaza is stronger than you can imagine,' said one Gazan, 'they're among civilians'.

As the Israel-Hamas War enters its tenth month, a new report published by CNN on Monday shows that nearly half of Hamas' military battalions in northern and central Gaza have rebuilt some of their fighting capabilities.

Working in conjunction with the American Enterprise Institute's Critical Threats Project and the Institute for the Study of War, CNN's special report draws on Israeli and Hamas military statements, footage from the ground and interviews with experts and eyewitnesses to demonstrate that several Hamas units inside Gaza are making a comeback in areas that the Israeli military has said it already cleared.

The units appear to have made effective use of dwindling resources by salvaging the remnants of their battered battalions, according to the new analysis.

As of July 1, only three of Hamas' 24 Qassam Brigade battalions are "combat ineffective", meaning they have been completely destroyed by Israeli forces. Eight battalions are "combat effective," able to carry out missions against Israeli soldiers on the ground and the other 13 are defined as "degraded," able to conduct sporadic, and largely unsuccessful, guerrilla-style attacks.

The CNN report focuses on 16 Hamas battalions located in central and Northern Gaza, the longest-running targets of the Israel Defense Forces' offensive. Evidence shows that of the 16, seven of the battalions have been able to rebuild some of their military capabilities at least once in the last six months.

According to Israeli military sources, the battalions located in central Gaza have not been adequately "dealt with'' by the IDF because they are believed to be holding many of the Israeli hostages captured by Hamas during the October 7 attack.

The analysis by ISW and CTP suggests two distinct methods of reconstitution, regrouping and regeneration. Some Qassam Brigades units have regrouped by merging severely degraded cells together in order to create combat effective battalions and others have regenerated, recruiting new fighters and manufacturing new weapons from the explosive material left behind by Israeli forces.

Because the original platoons have been severely diminished, Hamas is now relying on guerilla tactics, laying booby traps and staging ambushes on Israeli troops as they enter into the center of a camp or neighborhood, geolocated videos show.

CNN spoke to one Israeli military source, on the condition of anonymity, who corroborates Hamas' claim that they have been able to recruit "thousands" of new fighters, though he argues that it will be much more difficult for the organization to replace dead commanders. "Recruitment started three or four months ago, and they got a few thousand.

I don't know exactly how many, "says the retired high-ranking Israeli officer. "Hamas' biggest difficulty is not at the level of soldiers, but at the level of commanders, some (of) which are not easy to replace."

CNN also interviewed several Palestinians who were in Gaza over the last ten months for the report. "Hamas' presence in northern Gaza is stronger than you can imagine," says one man who recently fled the region after nearly 40 members of his family were killed in an Israeli airstrike, and who asked to remain anonymous. "They're among civilians. It helps them rebuild their forces."

The new investigation casts serious doubt on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's repeated claims that Israeli forces are close to achieving their stated goal of eliminating Hamas and destroying its military capabilities. Last month, Netanyahu told U.S. lawmakers in a joint meeting of Congress that "victory is in sight."

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-08-05/ty-article/hamas-strengthens-in-gaza-despite-ten-months-of-war-cnn-reports/00000191-2251-de46-afd5-f7db10990000

Posted by: Leuk | Aug 5 2024 21:27 utc