Hamas retains its skilled leaders, command structure: ISW
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The Institute for the Study of War reports that Hamas retains its skilled commanders and essential knowledge, ensuring command continuity and resilience amid ongoing conflict since October 2023.
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Yahya Sinwar, head of Hamas in Gaza, chairs a meeting with leaders of Palestinian factions at his office in Gaza City, Wednesday, April 13, 2022. (AP)
The Institute for the Study of War in a recent report underscored that Hamas continues to retain some of its most skilled commanders and the knowledge needed for its reformation despite the ongoing genocidal war since October 7, 2023.
The report stated that Hamas "retains the institutional knowledge and skilled commanders required to reconstitute despite the loss of several high-ranking Hamas commanders in the Gaza Strip since October 2023."
The institute further added "The original Hamas Gaza City and Rafah Brigade commanders remain active in the Gaza Strip," attributing this to Hamas's deliberate design of its military wing to be resilient in the face of the Israeli occupation's military action, by building a flexible military organization similar to traditional armies.
According to the institute, Hamas intentionally designed its military wing to withstand Israeli occupation forces' military action by creating a resilient organization modeled after conventional armies. These armies ensure command continuity during combat despite casualties and the deaths of leaders.
The report explained that Hamas commanders who get killed on the battlefield, or martyred, are almost certainly replaced by their deputies and subordinates. These deputies and subordinates have endured nine months in a harsh combat environment, which aids lower-ranking commanders in developing skills and learning lessons that are less likely to be acquired during peacetime when the stakes are much lower.
In turn, Middle East affairs analyst at Yedioth Ahronoth, Avi Issacharoff, confirmed that "Hamas still possesses long-range missiles capable of reaching Tel Aviv and Jerusalem."
Gaza Resistance still able to target Israeli settlements with rockets
The Palestinian Resistance factions continue to confront the incursions of the Israeli occupation forces in the Gaza Strip and launch rockets toward settlements in the Gaza Envelope on the 286th day of the ongoing Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.
Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement, announced that its fighters targeted the kibbutzim Mefalsim and Nir Am with a barrage of rockets.
#شاهد.. سرايا القدس تنشر مشاهد من تربيض وإطلاق الرشقات الصاروخية التي قصفت بها "أسدود" و"عسقلان" مستوطنات غلاف #غزة#طوفان_الأقصى #الميادين pic.twitter.com/dLZ9zXki1p
— قناة الميادين (@AlMayadeenNews) July 18, 2024
Israeli media reported that sirens sounded at least twice in the Gaza Envelope.
The Military Media of al-Quds Brigades published footage documenting the Resistance fighters launching rockets toward Ashdod, Ashkelon, and settlements in the Gaza Envelope.
Meanwhile, the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades released footage showing its fighters targeting Israeli occupation forces stationed in the Netzarim Axis with two 107mm rockets and heavy mortar shells.
The Resistance fighters of the al-Mujahideen Brigades, the military wing of the al-Mujahideen Movement, also targeted the occupation forces stationed in Netzarim with two 107mm rockets.
The brigades released footage showing its Resistance fighters targeting the Gaza Division headquarters of the Israeli occupation military in Re'im with two 107mm rockets in a joint operation with the Ansar Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian al-Ahrar movement.
Within the cooperation framework between the various Palestinian Resistance factions, the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, and the al-Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, issued a joint statement announcing a joint operation.
The statement confirmed that the two factions shelled Israeli occupation forces stationed in the al-Azba area, southwest of the Tal Sultan neighborhood in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, with mortar shells on Wednesday evening.
Read more: Al-Qassam releases footage of formidable Tal al-Hawa ambushes
