Yaakov Lappin
Times of Israel, Jan. 22, 2025
“Right now, the only realistic option for preventing Hamas’s resurgence is a temporary Israeli military administration.”
As a ceasefire and hostage deal unfold in the Gaza Strip, and the IDF chief of staff and Southern Command chief announce their resignations, the Israeli security cabinet faces a critical decision that it has so far avoided taking on: whether to set up a temporary Israeli military administration in areas of Gaza that the IDF will likely seize in the future.
Israel’s military achievements against Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad have been devastating since October 7. The IDF has killed some 20,000 terror operatives and likely seriously injured at least 10,000 others to the extent that they cannot fight, representing between 70 to 80 percent of the original fighting force. An estimated 95% of Gaza’s rocket arsenal has been destroyed, as has most of its key underground infrastructure.
Yet despite these gains, which are unprecedented in the history of urban warfare against jihadist non-state actors, Hamas continues to operate as an asymmetric guerrilla force. It would likely take at least another year for the IDF to significantly further reduce the scope of the decentralized terror cells that Hamas swiftly set up in recent months. These cells are intended to replace its mostly destroyed five brigades and 24 battalions. Hamas has ambitious plans to rebuild its strength, to prove to the Middle East that it could survive the war, and to threaten southern Israel once again, with projectiles and ground invasions.
As a hybrid military-civilian entity, Hamas never lost sight of its political ambitions. Throughout the entire war, it has leveraged international humanitarian aid entering Gaza, systematically looting supplies intended for civilians. Aid trucks are hijacked by Hamas and criminal gangs, with resources redirected to sustain terror networks and the remainder sold on markets at extortionate prices. The monopolization of aid distribution is meant to demonstrate to the local population that Hamas remains the only relevant political force. SOURCE