On January 14, a few days before the ceasefire in Gaza, the US Secretary of State now addressed the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, a crowd of the Atlantic Council in Washington, DC.

Over the past 15 months, Blinken A play Decisive To support the military campaign against Israel against Gaza, a campaign that human rights organizations described as genocide, where at least 4,7300 Palestinians were killed.

The goal of Israel, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned, was the complete defeat and the elimination of Hamas. But he speaks in one of his final manifestations as the state minister on January 14, Beninjin hit a different tone.

“We assess that Hamas has recruited nearly a number of new militants as it lost,” Plinken said. “This is a recipe for permanent rebellion and permanent war.”

She struck Hamas, but she was not defeated

Analysts and experts said Hamas has been severely wounded in the past 15 months. It is possible that you have lost thousands of fighters, including its military leader Yahya SinwarAccording to the European Council for Foreign Relations (ECFR), the stored of the exhausted weapons.

But with the stability of dust in Gaza, it is clear that Hamas has not been eliminated and still has a presence in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas fighters have I appeared prominent In handing over the Israeli prisoners as part of the ceasefire deal with Israel. The members of the civil administration managed by Hamas resumed work. If there is any authority in Gaza, it still seems to be Hamas.

“Hamas has an interest in creating a picture of the very organized force, and we must see that it is a propaganda exercise.”

Lovat added, however, that after “more than a year of fighting, [Hamas] The fighters continue to control Gaza. “

“Hamas is trying to show Israel that it has failed to destroy it, but also that the movement will have the right to veto the future of Gaza to move forward because Israel, Pennsylvania [Palestinian Authority]Or that the international community will be able to impose a security arrangement or arrangement after the conflict.

During the captive publications, the viewer caught a lot of guard, including the Palestinians in Gaza.

“I was very surprised to see the number of Qassam [Hamas’s military wing] Fathi Al -Dawi, 67, from Rafah to Nawyager in Gaza in the center of Gaza and the father of eight years, said that the fighters during the release of Israeli prisoners. “The volume of strikes and bombing, especially in the north of Gaza, made us believe that the human and military resources in Hamas have exhausted significantly. But what we saw proves that they are still strong – perhaps stronger than before.”

“[Hamas] She managed to adhere to the hostages, who seemed in good condition, was able to negotiate and sign the ceasefire agreement with the parties that swore to eliminate it, “Omar Rahman, a colleague of the Middle East Council for World Affairs, told Al -Jazeera.

Hamas also managed, according to Blinken statement, to employ a sufficient number of fighters to replace those who lost during the war.

It is difficult to know the actual number of Hamas fighters who were killed during the war. Hamas claims that it has lost between 6000 and 7,000 members of its armed and civil wings, according to what it said ECFR reportBased on interviews with two senior Hamas members. But the report says that most fighters estimated 25,000 fighters in Hamas are still alive and in hiding.

Netanyahu claimed that 20,000 “terrorists” were killed as of November 2024, while Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said that about 3000 were killed between October 6, 2024, and a ceasefire. The United Nations Human Rights Office says that approximately 70 percent of the deaths that were verified during this period were Women and children.

“Only Hamas knows the number of members of their military wing, the Qassam brigades were killed,” Hamz Attar, a Palestinian military analyst who is from Gaza, told Al Jazerara. “We see many publications that are sad for relatives in a way that uses a language indicating that they were fighting, but Hamas did not announce anything.”

Hamas can maintain the rebellion for many years.

Among the few recognized losses are a handful of Hamas leaders.

On the first day of the ceasefire on January 19, Hamas spokesman, known only as Abu Obeda, presented what he claimed to be “victory speech.” He praised some of the Hamas members who fell, including Sinwar, whose death was recorded by an Israeli plane in October; The leader of the political bloc Ismail HaniHe was killed in Tehran in late July; and Aruri hallKilled in Lebanon in January 2024.

Atar indicated that Abu Obeda did not include a name Muhammad Al -HafarThe number is a long time, which was one of the founders of the Qassam brigades. Israel claimed that it was killed Deif in late July, but the death was not officially recognized by Hamas.

Among the living is the head of a bathroom in Gaza, and Muhammad Sinwar, a figure who considers Israel more solid and well -trained and more than rational than his late brother Yahya and Azdin, who oversees the Al -Qassam cause in northern Gaza.

Israel’s declared targets also included the destruction of Hamas infrastructure, most notably the vast tunnel network. However, according to the Israeli media, the Hamas tunnel network is still largely operating, although estimates about their amount are still soundly different. Hamas members told ECFR that many tunnels have been restored or preserved, and in some cases, until it expanded.

The Hamas missile arsenal may have been greatly exhausted by Israel. However, improvised and primitive missiles can be rebuilt through unexploited munitions that remain around Gaza.

The ECFR report said that Hamas recycles “uninterrupted Israeli missiles, bombs and artillery shells to be used as improvised explosive devices and produce new projectiles.”

The ability to adapt to Hamas as a combat force has been developed over the years as a reaction to Israel’s tactics against it, which means that it was built to take many strikes and is still able to continue as an organization.

Popular enthusiasm

Hamas is not only a military organization, but has managed the Gazan government since 2006, when it has overcome Fatah in the elections.

While Hamas was popular in the West Bank, especially since the Hamas -led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in Gaza, some have expressed opposition opinions towards the group. However, Hamas’s popularity was not greatly affected by the Israeli War on Gaza, as proposed by the Palestinian Center for Political Research and Survey.

Opinions about the group differ widely among the Palestinians in Gaza. Hamas’s support in Gaza was about 35 percent, according to the last survey in September 2024, a decrease of three percentage points from June 2024.

Some criticism attacked Hamas’s failure to predict the long and brutal response of Israel to the attack. Others claimed that Hamas dragged them into war, the people of Gaza, who almost all lost family and friends, did not ask for part of it.

One of their critics was the 45 -year -old Will Darwish, north of Nawyari.

“This was a disaster, not a victory,” he said. We have suffered from the biggest disaster in history. If there is any simple victory, then this is because of people’s flexibility, not enthusiasm. “

Darwish said: “Although I do not deny the sacrifices of the resistance, we are tired,” Darwish said. “Resistance should also look at its people. We have thrown enough blood.”

“If Hamas remains in power, I will leave Gaza immediately,” continued. “Many feel the same.”

Even before October 7, Hamas faced local opposition – including protests against the group’s policies. However, some Palestinians in Gaza said that the past 15 months changed their opinion on the group.

“I was happy to see people and their numbers and the safety of Hamas fighters,” said Fatima North, 64, a 11 -year -old mother. “Although I do not support Hamas, my support for them during the war was because they were able to face the Israeli military arsenal, even a little.”

Nihal Barakat, 43, is a mother of eight times the descent from the SHATI camp for refugees to Nuseirat. “I expect Hamas’s popularity increasing after this war,” she said. “As for its strength, it remains intact, and we hope that it will be directed to the benefit of people.”

“It is clear that many Ghazan feel frustrated and angry [Hamas]Lovat said. Lovat added that people were angry that Hamas did not consider the consequences of their attack on October 7 and failed to plan to “restore the inevitable and incompatible violence against Gaza.”

Lovat said the group’s criticism “felt in Hamas itself”, especially among the moderate wing of the group. There was a lot of criticism [late Hamas leader] The analyst said that the actions of Yahya Sinwar and other actions made decisions unilaterally, “based on the interviews he conducted in the ECFR report.

But in order not to consider the refusal to consider the approval of the Israeli tactics or its occupation of Palestine.

During the genocide war on Gaza, people did not cooperate [with Israel] Attar, the military analyst, said because they are the enemy and the occupation. “It is not about Hamas. It is related to identity, flexibility and the continuity of the Palestinian people. This is not because they love Hamas, but because they love Palestine.”

“The occupation of our land must end. Al -Ladawi, the father displaced for the eight, said that the world needs to stand with us to determine our destiny.” We avoid more war. We are exhausted. We should not be punished simply because we have members of Hamas, Fatih, [Palestinian Islamic] Jihad or any other faction. “