Hamas still has some 20,000 fighters and access to thousands of weapons, including missiles that can reach deep within the Jewish state, according to the Israeli military.
The Israel Defense Forces said that despite killing more than 22,000 Hamas militants and dismantling its hierarchy and infrastructure over the last two years, Hamas has replenished its numbers, the Times of Israel reported.
The IDF also believes that Hamas has access to thousands of small arms and hundreds of short-range rockets, with some of the missiles capable of hitting central Israel.
The IDF’s estimates also indicated that only 25% of Hamas’ tunnel network has been destroyed, but the Israeli military maintains that the bulk of the tunnels used for coordinating attacks and weapons manufacturing were destroyed.
Prior to the war, Israel claimed that Hamas had some 30,000 fighters in Gaza — larger than estimates from the US and western allies — with the troops split into 240 battalions.
IDF officials said Hamas’ military system had effectively been dismantled, describing Hamas’ military wing as less than a standing army and more of a guerrilla group, according to the Times of Israel.
The IDF claimed the new recruits were less of a threat than their slain seniors and have not undergone any significant training.
Despite the Israeli estimation, Hamas’ troops have returned in force across the Gaza Strip amid the cease-fire, launching a violent crackdown on perceived opponents and civilians.
The scale of Hamas’ return mirrors that of the last cease-fire in January, where hundreds of terrorists flooded the streets to parade around the hostages as an apparent show of force.
Experts had previously warned that the nature of the war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza had allowed Hamas to lure in a mass of new recruits eager for food and revenge.
Freed hostage Tal Shoham noted that some of his captors were former teachers and doctors who had been “brainwashed” by Hamas to carry out their torture.
As the terror group focuses on regrouping and re-establishing its control over Gaza, it remains to be seen if Hamas will comply with President Trump’s order to disarm and cede power, as stated in the current cease-fire deal.
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