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Hamas Continues Entrenching Its Control after Gaza War

[Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center] Israel's Gaza operation caused severe damage to Hamas' military, security, administrative and civilian structures in Gaza. In the six months since the fighting ended, Hamas has made an effort to restore its internal security forces and military-terrorist wing (the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades) to their previous strength and to upgrade their capabilities. At the same time, Hamas strives to control and supervise the rebuilding process, while not allowing the Palestinian Authority to gain a foothold. However, the internal Palestinian rivalry between Hamas and Fatah did not abate but rather has increased. A fierce struggle between Hamas and the PA for the $4.5 billion in promised financial aid has, in effect, prevented the money from being used to rebuild Gaza infrastructure. Since the fighting, Hamas has smuggled in dozens of rockets, hundreds of mortar shells, dozens of anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles, and tens of tons of explosives and raw materials for the manufacture of homemade weapons. The tunnel system beneath the Egyptian border is a vital channel for smuggling weapons. Weapons are being manufactured again, and military training and instruction have been renewed. Hamas is making an enormous effort to establish its political control by suppressing its opponents. Fatah activists have been detained and executed and Hamas has increased its control of various civilian systems (education, health, unions, NGOS, clans). Today there is no internal threat to the stability of the Hamas regime.
2009-07-10 06:00:00
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