Hamas reasserting control over southern Gaza, Western diplomats warn

The IDF largely does not enter the areas where most of the Palestinian population now resides.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

Western diplomats have warned Israel that Hamas is reinstating civil control over most of the Gazan population, which is concentrated in areas of the Strip that the IDF has not entered for months, Ynet reported Monday.

Deir al-Balah and Nuseirat in central Gaza, and the Al-Mawasi humanitarian zone near Khan Yunis, which is further south, are the main areas where some 1.9 million Palestinians currently live, they said.

The IDF has conducted airstrikes several times to eliminate terrorists in these locations in recent weeks but has refrained from entering on the ground, in contrast to its current operations in northern Gaza.

Hamas is reportedly using brutal methods to recover its ruling role, the sources said.

This includes, for example, its operatives beating and even killing members of criminal factions that try to hijack aid convoys, and taking it for themselves instead. In one case, said the report, the Hamas fighters attacked the robbers right in front of IDF soldiers, who stood by and did nothing.

Hamas’s success has surprised many, the diplomats said. One reason may be that, at least according to U.S. intelligence, Hamas has succeeded in recruiting 10,000 new terrorists to its ranks, according to the report.

This would bolster its abilities to reassert civilian control and threaten Israel militarily.

The IDF rejected the American analysis, saying that while the Iranian proxy still retains some military capabilities, as recent rockets fired on Israel and attacks on IDF troops in the Strip can attest, Hamas is “finished” as far as command and control of its forces.

One of Israel’s official war aims, announced very soon after the Hamas-led invasion and massacre last October 7 that sparked the ongoing conflict, was to strip Hamas of its power in Gaza.

Senior IDF officials warned Monday yet again that the political echelon’s inability to strategize who will control the coastal enclave after the war ends and prepare the execution of its plan would lead to Hamas filling the vacuum.

“In the absence of an alternative, Hamas will inevitably return to power,” they said, even if Israel defeated it militarily, because “when families try to resist, Hamas suppresses them ruthlessly. But the larger issue is the absence of leadership or energy for rebellion.”

“Decisions must be made now, before any hostage deals or cease-fire agreements,” they urged, with one official noting, “The lesson from October 7 is not just to stop turning a blind eye but to stop deferring critical decisions.

“Difficult steps must be taken now. Hoping for quiet hasn’t worked—it’s time to face reality and act decisively,” the official said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition have ruled out giving any leading role in Gaza to the Palestinian Authority (PA), deeming the officially secular nationalists just as anti-Israel as Hamas, including its financial backing and active encouragement of terrorism.

Although this has been the preferred solution of the outgoing Biden administration, given vague “reforms” the PA is supposed to put in place, the Authority is also deeply disliked by most Palestinians, especially those under its direct control in Judea and Samaria, who consider its officials thoroughly corrupt and inept.

The idea favored by the more right-wing factions in Jerusalem is for the IDF to assert military control over the Strip at least for the foreseeable future to ensure Israel’s security.

'the day after'GazaHamashamas-Israel warOct 7thPalestinian Authority