Israeli media: Hamas military capabilities remain intact
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Israeli media: Hamas military capabilities remain intact
Pars Today – A recent report by an Israeli media outlet indicates that the Gaza war has not eliminated Hamas’ military capabilities.
Two years after the start of the conflict in Gaza, Israeli security assessments suggest that the Hamas movement still possesses significant military strength. According to Pars Today, Israel’s Channel 14 estimates Hamas’ armed forces at around 20,000 personnel.
According to the Israeli media assessment, Hamas still possesses hundreds of rockets, some with medium range capable of reaching central areas of the Occupied Territories. The movement also maintains thousands of RPG anti-armor weapons and more than 10,000 long-range firearms.
The report further notes that Hamas’ military structure comprises six brigades and 24 battalions, a portion of which remain active. It also indicates that more than half of the military tunnels that existed before the Gaza war are still operational.
In this context, Or Levy, a former Israeli security officer and analyst specializing in armed groups and unconventional warfare in West Asia, told the Hebrew newspaper Maariv that underestimating Hamas compared to Hezbollah and Iran led Israel to reduce its focus on the Gaza Strip.
Levy noted that, despite losing some of its personnel over the two-year conflict, Hamas has remained resilient and retains the capacity to rebuild in the future. While the movement may refrain from direct attacks for now, it is expected to join any future regional confrontations against Israel.
The Israeli analyst added that Israel still struggles to understand Hamas’ mindset, and the events of October 7 revealed the scale of the security failures inflicted on its military and intelligence apparatus.
Acknowledgment of Hamas’ military capabilities by Israeli media and experts comes even as rime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly emphasized since the start of the Gaza war that Israel seeks to eliminate Hamas’ military strength and will continue the conflict until that goal is achieved.
