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Hamas remains the dominant Palestinian power in Gaza even after 15 months of Israeli bombardment, holding sway in displacement camps and refusing to surrender.
- Jan. 16, 2025Updated 12:41 p.m. ET
Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has delivered devastating blows to Hamas: It has killed top Hamas leaders and thousands of militants, pummeled the militant group’s tunnel network and undermined its ability to threaten Israel with rocket fire.
When Hamas launched its Oct. 7, 2023, attack against Israel, it had hoped to ignite a regional war that would draw in its allies and lead to Israel’s destruction. Instead, it has been left to fight Israel almost entirely alone. Its allies have been decimated in Lebanon, toppled in Syria and weakened in Iran. The Houthis in Yemen have only managed to inflict occasional rocket and drone attacks, most of which Israel has intercepted.
Despite its isolation, however, Hamas remains the dominant Palestinian power in Gaza even after 15 months of Israeli bombardment, holding sway in displacement camps and refusing to surrender. Although many Palestinians have criticized the group’s decision to carry out the October 2023 attack — unleashing a war that has killed tens of thousands of Gazans and reduced cities to rubble — it has faced relatively little popular unrest.
Hamas has celebrated the provisional cease-fire agreement announced on Wednesday as an “accomplishment,” but its future role in Gaza remains uncertain.
The deal calls for an eventual “cessation of military operations and hostilities permanently,” but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has repeatedly suggested that he will resume attacking Hamas after some hostages held by militants are released.
Yet if the full, multistage agreement is carried out, it could allow Hamas to rebuild its ironclad control over Gaza, or at least allow it to maintain an influential role in the territory. Analysts connected to Hamas believe that Israel will struggle to resume the war in the face of international pressure, and that Hamas will play an important role in the future of Gaza.
