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Hamas Is Fighting to Survive in Gaza
(Israel Hayom) Shachar Kleiman - Three years after the Oct. 7 attack, Israel controls 63% of Gaza. The IDF is systematically demilitarizing territory east of the Yellow Line, which marks the boundary of Israeli military control in Gaza, in an effort to limit Hamas's ability to rebuild its strength. Hamas previously buried rocket components and weapons east of the Yellow Line, intending to retrieve them if Israel withdrew. The clearance of aboveground infrastructure in this area is now largely complete. Residential buildings containing terrorist infrastructure or weapons stockpiles were demolished. Underground infrastructure was discovered beneath some of the buildings, while others had been rigged with explosives, used by terrorists as hideouts or fortified positions. The clearing of underground infrastructure is still underway. Security forces are using specialized equipment to locate additional tunnels deep beneath the surface. Operations are also underway to destroy tunnels connecting different parts of Gaza, either through controlled explosions or by filling them with concrete. Hamas is believed to possess only a few hundred rockets, compared with thousands before the war. Hamas faces a shortage of weapons, including small arms, and its ability to rebuild its manufacturing capabilities is limited, despite its continuing smuggling efforts. Although Hamas continues recruiting terrorists, including teenagers aged 16 and 17, the training they receive is relatively rudimentary. Hamas spent a year and a half training each member of its Nukhba force. Documents seized in Gaza revealed that basic training for Hamas recruits during the war lasted just one week. Israeli assessments suggest that the cumulative impact of targeted killings of senior Hamas figures is undermining Hamas's ability to intimidate Gaza's population and maintain control. Evidence of this can be seen in raids conducted by Gaza-based, anti-Hamas militias into territory west of the Yellow Line. Hamas is appointing replacements for its eliminated commanders. However, Israeli officials believe that internal disputes and power struggles will emerge over succession. The first and second successors may be accepted without controversy, but by the time the organization reaches its seventh replacement, that individual could face a struggle to establish his authority.