Israeli media outlets have reported that the emergence of Hamas resistance group during the recent ceasefire in Gaza has demonstrated the group’s military strength and signs of its civil rule in the territory.
#فيديو | ⭕ “كل الفخر بالمقاومة.. إحنا معهم قلبا وقالبا”… كلمات شاب فلسطيني خلال تسليم الأسيرات الإسرائيليات يوم أمس وسط مدينة غزة. pic.twitter.com/mIK5PvOKC0
— وكالة شهاب للأنباء (@ShehabAgency) January 20, 2025
Criticisms continue within ‘Israel’ regarding the ceasefire, which went into effect on Sunday. As residents of Gaza returned to their homes, the Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing, was seen among the people.
According to Amir Bohbot, a military analyst for the Israeli website Walla, the survival of Hamas spokesman Abu Obeida represents “a failure of the Israeli security and military establishments.” Bohbot said the Israeli authorities have neglected the importance of “awareness and psychological warfare” in the digital age.
Amos Harel, a military affairs analyst for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, commented on the appearance of hundreds of Hamas fighters just kilometers from where Israeli forces were stationed until recently. Harel said this display showed Hamas’ military strength and signs of civil control in Gaza.
Harel noted that Hamas’ presence is already being felt in the northern part of the Strip, including Gaza City, Jabalia and Beit Hanoun – areas from which the Israeli army withdrew only at the end of the latest war. The analyst predicted that “crowds will begin to flow north” once the Netzarim axis southwest of Gaza City is evacuated, estimating that over a million people will return.
Haaretz also reported that the “full details of the Israeli concessions have begun to emerge,” including the release of Palestinian prisoners, which is “provoking strong reactions among Israelis.” The newspaper stressed that “Israel was required to make major concessions” to complete the prisoner release deal.
Harel concluded that “Israel largely lost the war on October 7, 2023,” and that everything since then has been “an attempt to minimize some of the damage.”
Source: Al-Manar English Website and Israeli media
