Hamas resurfaced in areas where Israel withdrew the bulk of its forces, AP reported. Hamas is deploying police officers and making salary payments to some of its civil servants. AP Cited four residents of Gaza city and a senior official in the militant’s group in its report.
Signs of Hamas resurgence in Gaza’s largest city underscore the group’s resilience. The despite Israel’s deadly air ground campaign in the four months since October 7 attack. Israel says it’s determined to crush Hamas and prevent from returning to power in Gaza. In recent days, IDF renewed strikes in the western and northwestern parts of Gaza city. The areas targeted include where some of the salary distributions reportedly took place.
Hamas Back to Govern?
Four Gaza city residents told the associated press that in recent days, uniformed and plainclothes police officers, including near Shifa Hospital, the territory’s largest. The residents said they saw the return of civil servants and subsequent Israeli airstrikes near the makeshift offices.
The return of police marks and attempt to reinstate order in the devastated city after Israel withdrew a significant number of troops from northern Gaza last month, a Hamas official told AP, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was authorized to talk to the media.
The officials said the group’s leaders had given directions to reestablish order in parts of the north where Israel forces has withdrawn. Hamas officials told to help prevent the looting of shops and houses abandoned by resident who had heeded repeated Israeli evacuation orders and headed to southern Gaza.
Saed Badel-Bar, a resident of Gaza city, said a cousin received funds from a makeshift Hamas office that was set up to distributed USD 200 payouts to government employees, including police officers and municipal workers.
Partial salary payments for at least some government employees signal that Israel haven’t delivered a knockout blow to Hamas, even at it claims to have killed over 9,000 fighters. A Gaza city local said that Israel struck the area where Hamas established makeshift office last month, Israel broke up the command structure of Hamas battalions in Gaza’s north. But the situation on ground suggests Hamas is still intact, according to the AP Report.
