U.S. intel – 15,000 new Hamas recruits balance out war casualties

Some Israeli assessments estimate the number of Hamas fighters killed at 20,000.

By World Israel News Staff

The Hamas terror group recruited up to 15,000 new operatives during the recent war with Israel, meaning that the organization has replaced nearly all of the terrorists slain during the conflict.

U.S. Congressional sources, citing intelligence reports, told Reuters that it’s believed Hamas has gained between 10,000 and 15,000 new members.

Notably, the sources say, almost an identical number of Hamas operatives are believed to have been killed in battle against the Israeli military.

Some Israeli assessments estimate the number of Hamas fighters killed at 20,000.

In a media statement, Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said that the recruitment of new terror operatives does not correlate with a greater threat posed by Hamas.

“Even if they recruit young people, they don’t have the weapons or training facilities to turn them into effective fighters,” he said. “Yes, they can incite hatred against Israel, but without equipment or training, they can’t mount a significant threat.”

Outgoing IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi wrote in his resignation letter that the army had “inflicted severe damage on Hamas’s military wing.”

But Halevi warned that Hamas had not yet been defeated.

“The war’s objectives have yet to be fully achieved. The IDF will continue to fight to dismantle Hamas’s governance and military capabilities, to secure the return of all the hostages, and to strengthen the security conditions that will allow the safe return of residents to their homes in the south and north,” he wrote.

During a recent speech, outgoing Secretary of State Antony Blinken appeared to blame Israel for Hamas clinging on to power in the Strip.

Blinken charged that Israel’s hesitancy to promote new governance in the coastal enclave had created a power vacuum, which served Hamas’s interests.

“Each time Israel completes its military operations and pulls back, Hamas militants regroup and reemerge because there’s nothing else to fill the void,” Blinken said.

“Indeed, we assess that Hamas has recruited almost as many new militants as it has lost,” he added. “That is a recipe for an enduring insurgency and perpetual war.”