Hamas Tries to Show It’s Back in Charge of Gaza

As a cease-fire began in Gaza on Sunday, masked gunmen drove through the streets of Gaza, crammed into white pick-up trucks, chanting the name of Hamas’ military wing. the sponsors. By sending its fighters in an undeniable show of force, Hamas tried to send a clear message to the Palestinians in Gaza, to Israel and to the international community: that even there despite heavy losses during the war among Hamas fighters, police, political leaders and government administrators, the Palestinian Authority remains the dominant force in Gaza.

“The message is that Hamas is the ‘next day’ for war,” said Ibrahim Madhoun, a close Hamas analyst based in Turkey, using a phrase that refers to the future administration of Gaza.

“They are conveying that Hamas must be included in the future arrangement, or at least, agree to it,” he added.

On Sunday, the Hamas government’s information office announced that thousands of police officers had begun deploying throughout the province to “maintain security and order”. Government ministries and institutions, the press office said, were preparing to start working “according to the government’s plan to implement all the measures that guarantee the restoration of normal life.”

At Nasser Medical Center in the southern city of Khan Younis, at least three uniformed police officers stood as the Palestinian national anthem was played, according to a video posted on social media and verified by the New York Times.

Later on Sunday, dozens of uniformed Hamas militants armed with guns were seen in Saraya Square in Gaza City near a car holding Israeli hostages before the Cross was handed over. Red. The militants tried to push away the crowd of people pushing the car.

Although Hamas is trying to plan that it still controls Gaza and intends to play a major role in its governance, its future remains uncertain. Israeli officials said they had not given up on their stated goal of the war to destroy the military and government wings of Hamas, and strongly suggested they could continue fighting the militant group after the release of some hostages.

Gideon Saar, Israel’s foreign minister, said on Sunday that the Hamas regime poses a threat to Israel’s security and stressed that it has not accepted a permanent ceasefire that leaves Hamas in the government of Israel.

“We are ready to achieve the goal of the war,” he said.

While some analysts say Israel may eventually remove Hamas from power, others say it will struggle to continue fighting in the face of international pressure. And even then, these analysts say, the Israeli military will face a huge challenge in eradicating Hamas from Gaza without an outright occupation.

Ali Jarbawi, a political science professor at Birzeit University, said that Hamas’s march through Gaza on Sunday was more than a message to the international community that it controls it. It also reflects the local situation, he said.

“Hamas was there before the war and they are there now,” he said.

Aritz Parra contributed to the report.