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Islamic militants

Hamas Rises from the Ashes: A Post-War Gaza on the Brink of a New Chapter

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

After two years of conflict, Hamas, the Islamist militant group, has reasserted its control over the Gaza Strip, violently evicting a mental health clinic staff and taking control of the premises. This sudden rise in power has been accompanied by a surge in reprisals, beatings, interrogations, disappearances, and mass public executions, sparking fears of a "dark cycle" in the region.

Key Takeaways:

  • Hamas has been recruiting, re-arming, reorganizing, and repairing its tunnel network in the past week, according to open-source data and interviews with security experts.
  • The terror group has taken control of the Gaza Strip, violently evicting a mental health clinic staff and taking over the premises.
  • Hamas has conducted a purge of opposition groups, including the Doghmush clan and Yasser Abu Shabab's grouping, using violent means to assert control.
  • The group has also acquired valuable new equipment, including SUVs and weapons, some of which may have originally been supplied by Israel.
  • Hamas does not believe the threat from US President Donald Trump to "obliterate" the group if it does not disarm, regarding the pledge as a publicity stunt.
  • Analysts fear that Turkey and Qatar, sympathetic to the Muslim Brotherhood ideology upon which Hamas is founded, may push for the group's inclusion in the peace process, undermining attempts to disarm the group.
  • The make-up and toughness of any stabilisation force will be crucial in determining the outcome of negotiations currently ongoing in Egypt.
  • Hamas has called on civilians to inform them when they come across unexploded munitions, leading to fears that they will be recycled.

Statistics:

  • 2 million Palestinians remain in the Gaza Strip, where Hamas has imposed a regime of fear and control.
  • Dozens of people have been called for questioning by Hamas, with some claiming that social media infuencers and others who spoke out during the fighting have gone silent or disappeared.
  • 100s of people have been killed or injured in violent clashes between Hamas and opposition groups.
  • 50% of Gaza's population live in overcrowded refugee areas, with tens of thousands waiting to leave the region.

Sources:

  • "dispatch" by Henry Bodkin in Jerusalem, THE TELEGRAPH (no date mentioned)
  • World Health Organisation (WHO)
  • Israeli Ministry of Strategic Affairs (no date mentioned)
  • Misgav Institute and the Institute for National Security Studies (no date mentioned)
  • Atlantic Council (no date mentioned)

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