Hamas ‘neither defeated nor destroyed’ as Israel changes tactics in Gaza: Monitors

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and the Critical Threats Project (CTP) say Israel’s withdrawal of five brigades from northern Gaza indicates the start of what it has described as a new phase in its war on the Palestinian territory.

According to the US-based military think tanks, this new phase of fighting entails the end of major combat operations and a transition to “targeted raids” by the Israelis.

However, the armed group is “neither defeated nor destroyed” as a military force and the change in Israeli tactics will “allow Hamas to rebuild its military capabilities and infrastructure”, the ISW and the CTP said in their latest battlefield assessment.

“Hamas maintains a conventional military structure, meaning that it should be able to quickly replace commanders who have died in the war,” they said.

Palestinian fighters also launched “a large salvo” of rockets at Tel Aviv from Gaza on December 31, which demonstrated that Hamas retains its rocket capabilities despite Israeli military operations. Several rockets were also fired at Israel on January 2.

Commenting on the targeted killing of Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri in southern Beirut on Tuesday, the ISW and the CTP said Israel is now preparing for “a very significant response”, according to an Israeli media report.