Hamas claims victory despite Israel’s control of 70% of Gaza Strip

Hamas regards its ability to continue fighting the IDF after three years as proof that it has neither surrendered nor been defeated.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Hamas considers itself the victor in its three-year war with Israel despite the Israeli military’s control of 70% of the Gaza Strip, according to intelligence presented Friday to Israel’s senior political and defense leadership, including the prime minister and defense minister.

The assessment found that Hamas has framed its survival and continued resistance to the IDF as evidence that it has not been defeated.

A senior security official said Hamas also views US President Donald Trump’s points-based plan for the Gaza Strip, including an economic development proposal involving tens of billions of dollars in investment, as consistent with the vision of Sheik Ahmed Yassin from 1999.

“They are convinced that US President Donald Trump’s points-based plan for the Gaza Strip, which his son-in-law Kushner is advancing, including a plan for economic development involving tens of billions of dollars in investment, is a direct continuation of Sheik Ahmed Yassin’s vision from 1999,” the official said. “They believe in it even if it is delayed.”

According to the official, Hamas regards its ability to continue fighting the IDF after three years as proof that it has neither surrendered nor been defeated by an army widely regarded as the strongest in the Middle East.

“They tell themselves, and we can see this,” the official said, that “they have not been defeated. They have not surrendered,” something the official said no other Arab army in the Middle East had achieved.

Hamas is currently preparing for possible fighting in Gaza City, the official indicated.

“They are really working on this around the clock, in many ways: recruiting operatives, distributing weapons, digging defensive tunnels, manufacturing explosive devices, producing short-range projectiles, and preparing surprises,” the official said.

Israeli military and security agencies, meanwhile, are concentrating on targeted killings of key terrorists in Gaza, particularly those who participated in the October 7 massacre three years ago.

Hamas’s leadership continues to reject disarmament and the transfer of control in the Gaza Strip to an alternative governing authority, the senior official said.

The IDF is therefore preparing for a scenario involving a large-scale movement of civilians and a ground maneuver into the heart of Gaza City.