Despite its dispersion and despite the fact that Israel outnumbers it in numbers and weapons, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) is far from defeated, which is confirmed by Israel’s announcement yesterday, Saturday, that it has diverted part of its forces to suppress the movement’s fighters in northern Gaza.
That’s the conclusion reached by Beverly Milton Edwards, co-author of the forthcoming book “Hamas” and a non-resident fellow at the Middle East Council for Global Affairs in Doha.
Seven months after the start of this war, Edwards believes that Israel has failed to destroy Hamas as a military and political force, nor has it been able to eliminate the main leaders who planned the attacks of October 7, 2023, even if that had happened (even partially). All indications point to the emergence of new battle-hardened leaders to replace those who disappeared.
In the first weeks and months of the war, as the author explains in her article in the British newspaper The Times, few experts expected that the organization’s military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, would survive the inevitable Israeli attack.
She adds that to confront the Israeli attack, Hamas has recruited thousands of dedicated fighters who see death in battle as a glory that turns them into martyrs and guarantees them paradise, not to mention the contribution of that sacrifice to freedom from siege and occupation.
Although Israeli army operations led to the elimination of some Qassam leaders, this often came at a heavy cost to civilians, as happened in the air attack on the Jabalia refugee camp on October 31, 2023, which Israel said led to the killing of Ibrahim Bayari. The Qassam commander in the camp, which also left a thousand Palestinians dead and wounded, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, as the author explains.
Edwards adds that luring Israeli soldiers into Gaza has always been a tactical goal for Al-Qassam, as its fighters believe that they can maintain their superiority due to their knowledge of the field and their use of narrow alleys, hidden entrances, orchards, and sand dams.
Under the title: “Rafah is the End of the Game,” the writer pointed out what Israel did last week in expanding its attack on Rafah, despite explicit objections from the administration of US President Joe Biden and international criticism warning of the killing of tens of thousands of Palestinians in the war.
Edwards added that destroying Hamas will remain the goal, but in the process the entire population of Gaza is approaching starvation, and in Rafah itself, which UNICEF has described as a “city of children,” residents, refugees and aid workers have lost hope.
What is surprising, according to the author, is that the support enjoyed by Hamas in Gaza is still relatively undiminished, and the majority of Gaza residents whose opinions were recently polled still believe that Hamas will win the war.
The writer explained this by saying that the residents of Gaza know, first of all, that the destruction that befell their strip was caused by Israel, not Hamas, and secondly, and in contrast to some complaints about Hamas in the past, Hamas fighters have shown how extremely committed they are to defending Gaza.
The Qassam Brigades in Gaza, contrary to Israeli claims, are not seen as hiding in tunnels and afraid to fight.
The Qassam Brigades in Gaza, contrary to Israeli claims, are not seen as hiding in tunnels and fearing combat. Moreover, whenever Israel targets and kills family members of the Hamas leadership, including their children and grandchildren, or destroys their homes; This strengthened shared solidarity and collective grief.
The writer warned that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s declared goal of killing the current Hamas leaders will not solve the problem, explaining that Hamas has always had the ability to renew and recruit the next generation of fighters ready to confront the Israeli enemy, citing in this regard what the movement’s founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin said: “Behind every martyr is a thousand martyrs ready for battle.”
On the other hand, the writer highlighted that the image of the Israeli army as an invincible army has been greatly damaged. A number of Israeli security leaders have fallen, and the positions of others in the Israeli political and military establishment have become more dangerous, as they are threatened with possible arrest orders on charges of committing war crimes from the International Criminal Court. Equally important, the Israeli public appeared to be running out of patience with the war.
As for Hamas, it will not submit or surrender. It is capable, as it has always proven, of fierce resistance. According to many sources, it still maintains at least 5 active brigades, now divided into mobile guerrilla units, in Rafah alone.
Amidst the rubble, and in the deep tunnels inside Gaza, survival despite the difficulties is, for Hamas, a victory in itself, according to what the British expert concluded.