Hamas leaders have likely calculated that their organization will endure even if Israel launches a major ground incursion into Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, where four of the terror group’s operational battalions are believed to be operating.
The Institute for the Study of War think tank, headquartered in the District of Columbia, said Hamas is expected to pursue its “maximalist” cease-fire demands without offering any major concessions. Senior officials in the terrorist group believe their position was solidified in April after most units of the Israel Defense Forces were pulled out of Khan Younis, leaving only a single brigade south of Gaza City.
“The withdrawal from Khan Younis will enable Hamas fighters to flee north as the Israel operation (in Rafah) begins,” the ISW said Wednesday.
Hamas rebuilt its operations inside parts of Gaza where the IDF withdrew in December and April. The terrorists have conducted dozens of attacks on Israeli forces in areas that had been cleared.
On Monday, Hamas introduced a cease-fire counterproposal with key changes that Israel didn’t accept, including an end to the Israeli “blockade” and a permanent end to the war. The new demands would limit Israel’s ability to disrupt Hamas’ supplies and tunnel repair work along with smuggling in new weapons, according to the ISW.
“A permanent truce would provide Hamas the time and space to reconstitute itself militarily and reassert its political authority in the Gaza Strip. Hamas would break a cease-fire of any length at a time and for reasons of its choosing because it desires to destroy Israel,” the ISW said.
The think tank said Hamas sees control of the Gaza Strip as a prerequisite to the destruction of Israel.
“Hamas’ survival as a military and political entity remains an unacceptable outcome of this war,” the ISW said.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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