Former Generals Admit Israel Facing a ‘New Hamas’ in Gaza

The military wing of Hamas, the al-Qassam Brigades, announced that its fighters launched a surprise attack on Israeli forces southeast of Khan Yunis on Wednesday morning. According to the group, the fighters destroyed tanks, struck Israeli positions with mortars and explosive devices, and engaged soldiers in close-range combat inside residential buildings. A sniper also reportedly killed a Merkava 4 tank commander during the raid.

Retired Israeli major general Israel Ziv admitted in an interview on 103FM that the movement is reorganizing and regaining initiative.

“What we are seeing before our eyes is a new Hamas, a Hamas that is recovering. Hamas is reorganizing like it began—as a guerrilla organization,” he said, Maariv reported on Thursday.

His remarks echoed earlier warnings by retired major general Yitzhak Brik, who wrote in July that Hamas had already rebuilt to its pre-war strength.

“Hamas now numbers about 40,000 resistance fighters, similar to its strength before the aggression began,” Brik wrote, adding that Israel’s soldiers face a “grim” reality.

Brik dismissed Israeli officials' claim that the movement has been crippled. “They were never an army, and therefore they have not lost their military capabilities as the chief of staff claims,” he argued.

The debate within Israel reflects a wider recognition that the war has not met its stated goals, including the elimination of Hamas, despite widespread destruction of the area, which led to the forced displacement of almost the entire Gaza population.

The remarks come as Israel pushes forward with plans to expand its ground invasion into Gaza City, even as the international community is warning about the dire humanitarian cost of such aggression.

Gaza’s authorities announced that more than 62,100 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed and at least 157,114 injured since the Israeli genocidal war on the besieged territory began in October 2023.