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Source: https://www.ynetnews.com/opinions-analysis/article/rysoraw11mg
Israel Has Contained Hamas
(Ynet News) Ron Ben-Yishai - Hamas currently has 20,000 operatives in Gaza, including 8,000 experienced fighters. The remainder are young men and teenagers recruited hastily and provided with basic training and light weapons, including RPGs. But Hamas has been severely weakened and in recent days has initiated little beyond intelligence gathering. The presence of armed clans whose members and families, numbering in the tens of thousands, live in IDF-controlled areas are continually challenge Hamas authority and undermining its rule. Public support for Hamas appears to be declining, as seen at the funeral of Izz al-Din Haddad, the Gaza City commander who became Hamas's leader in Gaza. Only a few dozen Gazans attended, compared with tens of thousands who once attended funerals of less senior commanders. Haddad was succeeded by Mohammed Oudeh, who has also since been killed. Hamas has not been completely destroyed, but its military wing has been severely battered and, according to reliable information, is not rebuilding at the alarming pace sometimes claimed in the media. Unlike in the past, civilians who are neither Hamas members nor relatives of Hamas members now have access to food, water and medicine in Gaza, due to the substantial humanitarian aid flowing into the territory. However, Hamas still seizes a significant portion of that aid and sells it, primarily to finance the recruitment of new operatives.