The morning the ceasefire took effect in Gaza, masked members of Hamas’s military wing roamed the streets of Gaza in clean white vans, carrying Hamas flags and carrying automatic rifles.
The activists also carried an unambiguous message: although weakened, Hamas survived 15 months of Israeli bombing of Gaza and remains the most powerful Palestinian party in the territory.
Since the ceasefire began on Sunday, Hamas has worked overtime to try to show that it still controls Gaza, even after Israel killed thousands of its members and demolished its tunnels and factories. weapons in retaliation for the crossing on October 7, 2023. -border attack which killed around 1,200 people.
Throughout the war, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to eliminate Hamas, but he never offered a plan for a realistic alternative that could take control of Gaza, leaving behind a vacuum that the group armed has filled.
However, even for many Gazans, the rapid re-emergence of the fighters, some in official uniform, came as a surprise.
“They came out of hiding in the snap of their fingers,” said Mohammed, 24, who asked that his last name be withheld to avoid possible reprisals from Hamas. “We had no idea where these people were during the war. »
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