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Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/world/middle-east/hamas-diminished-not-destroyed-reasserts-gaza-rcna238188
Hamas Diminished but Not Destroyed in Gaza
(NBC News) Matt Bradley - Israeli security officials and experts on Gaza agree that Hamas has been badly diminished but not thoroughly destroyed. "Hamas was damaged very severely in its military capabilities, but I think it will be fair to say that it wasn't crushed," said Shalom Ben Hanan, a fellow at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism at Israel's Reichman University and a veteran of the Israel Security Agency. "Maybe the threat isn't in the days to come or the nearest future. But their potential is still there." According to an Israeli military official, 10,000-20,000 fighters remain at Hamas's disposal. Giora Eiland, former director of Israel's National Security Council, said Hamas lost about 20,000 fighters during two years of war. But the group will have little trouble reconstituting its manpower, Eiland said. "It is easy for Hamas to regain power and it is very easy for them to recruit more and more people to replace those who were killed....Hamas is the authentic representative of the people of Gaza." The Israeli military official said that 90% of the group's rockets have been destroyed as well as Hamas's ability to rebuild them. "Very important is the manufacturing sites, the smuggling routes and so on. It's not just taking away the fish, it's taking away the rod."