Hamas making comeback in Gaza with 23,000 fighters: Report

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

HAMAS IS MAKING A MAJOR COMEBACK THROUGH RECRUITING.

THAT’S ACCORDING TO NUMEROUS MEDIA OUTLETS WITHIN ISRAEL. 

WHEN COMBINED WITH PALESTINIAN ISLAMIC JIHAD FIGHTERS, THE ORIGINAL REPORT FROM CHANNEL 12 PUT HAMAS’ TOTAL NUMBERS AT 23,000.

THE JERUSALEM POST PUTS THAT NUMBER CLOSER TO 12 THOUSAND. IT’S A PRETTY BIG DISCREPENCY, AND THERE COULD BE A NUMBER OF REASONS FOR IT.

THE POST POINTS OUT IN OCTOBER 2023, THE ISRAELI DEFENSE FORCES SAID HAMAS WAS 25-THOUSAND FIGHTERS STRONG.

THERE ARE TWO THEORIES, WHICH WOULD EXPLAIN THE SIZEABLE INCREASE.

FIRST, HAMAS RECRUITED ALL NEW MEMBERS.

VIRTUALLY REPLACING ITS OLD FORCE.

THE SECOND, INITIAL I-D-F ESTIMATES FROM OCTOBER 2023 WERE TOO LOW.

THE POST SAYS IT’S NOW BEEN TOLD THE NUMBER OF HAMAS FIGHTERS BEFORE THE WAR WAS CLOSER TO 40 THOUSAND.

ADDING, THIS WOULD INDICATE THE MAJORITY OF HAMAS MILITANTS ARE FROM THE ORIGINAL FORCE AND THEY’VE “ADDED THOUSANDS OF NEW RECRUITS.”

THE FIRST SIGNS OF A HAMAS COMEBACK CAME THIS SUMMER FOLLOWING I-D-F WITHDRAWALS FROM NORTHERN GAZA AND FROM KHAN YUNIS LAST YEAR.

THE SUSPECTED RESURGENCE OF THE TERRORIST GROUP COMES AS AN ISRAELI AIRSTRIKE REPORTEDLY KILLED A HAMAS POLICE CHIEF AND HIS DEPUTY IN CENTRAL GAZA 

MEDICS IN THE HAMAS-CONTROLLED REGION SAY 11 PEOPLE WERE KILLED AND MORE THAN A DOZEN INJURED IN THE STRIKE–WHICH REPORTEDLY HAPPENED IN A HUMANITARIAN ZONE THAT INCLUDED WOMEN AND CHILDREN.

ISRAEL SAYS THE DEPUTY WAS “HIDING” AMONG CIVILIANS IN KHAN YOUNIS…A COMMON TACTIC WITH HAMAS FIGHTERS.

THE IDF SAYS IT DID ITS BEST TO MINIMIZE HARM TO CIVILIANS AND IS ACCUSING HAMAS OF ONCE AGAIN USING “THE CIVILIAN POPULATION AS HUMAN SHIELDS.”

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FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS– I’M RYAN ROBERTSON.