Hamas Is Rebuilding as Disarmament Talk Rings Hollow • Jewish Breaking News

The Israeli outlet Channel 13 News reported that the IDF delivered a document to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with an assessment that Hamas has been increasingly consolidating control over Gaza and rebuilding its capabilities since the October ceasefire.

The report says the document refers to Phase II of President Donald Trump’s peace plan, which Hamas is looking toward in its efforts to reconstitute itself as part of the new government. During Phase II, Hamas is supposed to disarm, and Israeli withdrawals will be tied to disarmament. Israel controls over half of the Gaza Strip. But Hamas has rejected calls to disarm, Israelis don’t believe they will disarm, and it’s widely accepted that Israel will have to use force to disarm the group.

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Nevertheless, last week Trump said in a Cabinet meeting, without presenting evidence, that “it looks like” the terror group is “going to disarm,” and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff agreed. “They will because they have no choice. They’re going to give up their AK-47s,” he said.

The report quoted the document as stating that “approximately three months after the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, it is evident that Hamas, despite the difficulties, continues to deepen its governance, looking ahead to the next phase of the agreement — an increase can be identified across all indicators of Hamas’s governance.”

“Hamas is taking steps on the ground intended to preserve its influence and grip on the Gaza Strip from below. This is being done by integrating its operatives into government ministries and the security apparatuses,” the document read, according to the report.

“Looking ahead: In the absence of Hamas’s disarmament, and under the auspices of the technocratic committee, Hamas will, in our assessment, succeed in maintaining influence and control in the Gaza Strip,” the report cited the document as saying.

Hamas has signaled its willingness to transfer its authority to the new governing body, but it has also signaled that it expects about 10,000 members of its police force to be incorporated into the new government. Meanwhile, Hamas remains the sole governing authority in the Strip, and an Israeli official said that even with a transfer of authority, tens of thousands of armed Hamas operatives remain stationed throughout Gaza, as well as many members of its political wing in civil roles.

The Israeli military accuses Hamas police of participating in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel in which about 1,200 Israelis were killed and 251 abducted. In the war that ensued, the IDF targeted both Hamas’ military leadership as well as its internal security forces and political leaders.