Top brass eliminated, command rebuilt: Israel's concern over Hamas's recovery rate

Despite the elimination of Hamas's military and political top brass, the organization is managing to rebuild its chain of command by pre-appointing deputies for every senior position. In the northern Gaza Strip, two brigade commanders and two veteran battalion commanders survive. International pressure and the ceasefire agreement limit IDF operations, and the elections in Israel raise concerns that the political echelon will settle for a status quo that allows Hamas to survive.

Despite a series of eliminations that included Mohammed Deif, Ahmed Randor, Izz al-Din al-Haddad, Mohammed Sinwar, and Marwan Issa, Hamas is managing to rebuild its chain of command. The organization pre-appoints deputies for every senior position, so that when a commander is eliminated, his deputy immediately replaces him. Examples: Mohammed Yazouri, who served as a commander in Khan Younis, functioned as a deputy brigade commander, battalion commander, and intelligence unit commander; Naal Abu Ubaid, a commander in Rafah, was a deputy brigade commander and battalion commander. In the northern Gaza Strip, two brigade commanders survive - Mohand Rajab and Izz al-Din al-Bik - and two veteran battalion commanders, Hitham al-Hawajri and Hussein Fiyad. Hamas is still capable of conducting complex attack operations and uses children as militants. International pressure and the ceasefire agreement limit the IDF; nearly a year has passed since the agreement and Israel has not carried out a large-scale ground attack. The elections in Israel raise concerns that the political echelon will settle for a status quo. Hamas has expressed agreement to hand over only heavy weapons and insists on keeping light weapons. Arab countries oppose Israeli military activity and demand a full withdrawal. Qatar and Turkey operate in areas under Hamas control.