When Emily Damari, Doron Steinbrecher and Romi Gonen were released in Gaza on Sunday after 470 days from the hostage of Hamas, the three women also had to serve for a cynical game of the terrorist group: they were given “discharge certificates”, plus one Kind gift bag, with photos of your detention and a map of Palestine. Masked fighters of Hamas stood trellis when the three were handed over to the Red Cross, the green flags of the terrorist group blew in the background.
The staging should make it clear: Hamas is still there, it is not beaten. At the same time, blue uniformed Hamas began to patrol in the Gaza Strip. Her fighters drove through the destroyed cities on pick-ups. “You want to demonstrate your power,” says a Palestinian from Rafah on the phone. “And they actually have control everywhere.” He is not enthusiastic about it, but someone has to try to restore public order. The Hamas media publish videos that show Bulldozer how they put rubble off the street, and by police officers who regulate the traffic. “We work according to an emergency plan,” says a spokesman for Hamas.
After almost 16 months of war, Hamas is militarily weakened, many of its fighters and leaders are no longer alive – but Hamas is not defeated. This is the message she announces itself, and that is probably the reality. “Although the government of Benjamin Netanyahu said that it would exterminate the Hamas, the group not only survived militarily, but also kept its rule intact,” wrote the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth. And at the same time asks what this war was held for in this brutal intensity.
The terrorist group will return to its insurgent roots, says an expert
According to the administration dominated by Hamas, almost 47,000 people were killed by Israeli attacks, more than 90 percent of the apartments are said to be destroyed. The Israeli army claims to have killed around 17,000 members of Hamas, which corresponds to about half of its esteemed military size. The renowned center for data on armed conflicts and events (ACLED) comes to a number of around 8,500 dead Hamas fighters in an analysis of reports from the Israeli army. A few days ago, former US Secretary of State Antony Antony Flasche said that he assumed that Hamas could compensate for their losses through new recruits.
:470 days sorry
Consequences of violence, torture and sexual abuse, of lack of nutrients, vitamins and UV light: what doctors and psychologists have to take care of when returning the hostages.
The war, however, is probably no longer the military threat that it represented in front of it. Their rockets and larger weapons are largely destroyed, which smash command structures and production facilities. If Hamas tried to give her military wing the structure of a regular army before the war, it will probably organize herself in guerrilla -like cells in the future.
Hamas is no longer able to start an attack in the style of October 7, says Michael Milshtein, an Israeli expert and former officer of the military secret service. However, she will return to her insurgent roots and, for example, try to use non -exploded Israeli ammunition for self -made bombs.
For many Israelis, the ceasefire agreement and the exchange of hostages are a success, which demands a high price. Hamas is weakened militarily, its terror on October 7 was ultimately the trigger that the entire axis of resistance from Hamas, Hisbollah in Lebanon and the Assad regime collapsed in Syria-but Hamas is the strongest strength in Gaza. It is hated for many Palestinians, but an alternative is nowhere in sight. The Palestinian Authority in West Bank is corrupt and incompetent, Netanyahu has always ruled out that it could come back to Gaza. He never presented an alternative idea for the administration of the coastal strip.
It is now largely destroyed, a plan for reconstruction does not exist. Potential donor countries have made it clear that they only want to help if Hamas no longer rules in Gaza. The terrorist group itself also knows that their future and support from the population in Gaza depend on how quickly it is to rebuild houses and infrastructure. Her remaining leadership has therefore announced not to have to take power alone, which should increase the willingness of the Gulf States to invest in Gaza. However, it could be limited because Hamas does not want to give up its weapons.
The gaza strip also competes with Lebanon and Syria, which are also dependent on international help, much larger amounts. Countries like Saudi Arabia and the Emirates could see their money better there than in Gaza. In Syria, the Islamists want to behave neutrally to Israel in the future. In Lebanon, the Hisbollah could become disarmed and become a normal party. In Gaza, the Hamas fighters celebrate their “victory” against Israel. The civilian population paid the prize. The next few months will show how they think about Hamas.
