Hamas Recruited 15,000 New Fighters Since Israeli Invasion of Gaza

One of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s top goals for Israel’s onslaught in Gaza is to eliminate Hamas. US intelligence now says Tel Aviv may not have made any progress in achieving that goal, as Hamas has added 15,000 new fighters since the Israeli Defense Forces began military operations in the Strip.

According to Congressional sources who were briefed on the situation by the intelligence community, Hamas has recruited 10,000 to 15,000 new fighters over the past 15 months. During that same period, the intelligence community believed Israel killed about the same number of Hamas fighters.

This revelation shows that Hamas’ losses are lower than the number reported by Israel; Tel Aviv has claimed to kill over 20,000 militants. The US estimate is also lower than the number of children who have been confirmed killed during the Israeli onslaught, approximately 17,000.

Former Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a similar statement before the end of the Biden presidency. He said the US assesses “that Hamas has recruited almost as many new militants as it has lost. That is a recipe for an enduring insurgency and perpetual war.”

Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon attempted to downplay the American assessment. “We know that Hamas recruits youngsters,” Danon said. “But even if they recruit youngsters, they don’t have the weapons or the training facilities. So basically, yes, you can incite those youngsters against Israel, but they cannot become a terrorist, because you cannot equip them with weapons or rockets.”

Last January, the IDF concluded that a “significant number” of Hamas’ weapons are made from unexploded Israeli bombs dropped on Gaza. As Tel Aviv has pummeled the Strip with a historic number of munitions, therefore Hamas may find ample material to rearm.

Blinken went on to say the Biden White House determined that Israel would be unable to eliminate Hamas. “We’ve long made the point to the Israeli government that Hamas cannot be defeated by a military campaign alone, that without a clear alternative, a post-conflict plan and a credible political horizon for the Palestinians, Hamas, or something just as abhorrent and dangerous, will grow back,” Blinken said.

However, the fact that Israel was making no progress towards its objective of defeating Hamas while killing a massive number of civilians did not cause the Biden administration to alter policy and halt arms transfers to Israel.

After a ceasefire began on the final day of the Biden presidency, Hamas showed that it maintained significant capabilities. As well as establishing security control, the group was able to begin restoring some services in the decimated enclave.