Hamas rejected Israel's warning on Gaza - assessment
Hamas terrorists refused to heed Israel's warning regarding their presence in the Gaza Strip. Nearly three years of fighting have weakened the organization but have not led to a political breakthrough due to the lack of a clear Israeli strategy for managing the sector after the war.
Hamas terrorists refused to heed Israel's warning regarding their presence in the Gaza Strip. Nearly three years of fighting have significantly weakened the organization: it lost key leaders, its armed wing suffered serious losses, and infrastructure was destroyed. However, as Ynet reports, the results achieved on the battlefield did not lead to a political breakthrough. The lack of a clear Israeli strategy for the post-war arrangement of Gaza prevented the elimination of Hamas's political influence. No alternative governance structure capable of taking control of civil administration and maintaining order emerged. As early as March 2024, then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned the cabinet that without an alternative governance system for the sector, Hamas's power would not be eliminated. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ruled out transferring Gaza to the control of the Palestinian Authority. In the end, the IDF could conduct operations against militants, but after the troops withdrew, the problem of civil governance remained unresolved. Hamas maintains involvement in negotiations about Gaza's future, keeping contacts with Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, and is discussing the creation of a "national alliance" with other Palestinian factions ahead of elections on November 28, 2026.