Hamas is rebuilding its army, recruiting young recruits during the Gaza ceasefire
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Hamas is rebuilding new terror facilities in Gaza and using a ceasefire with Israel to bolster its forces, restore troubled leadership and recruit a new generation of youth fighters, according to a top national security analyst.
Professor Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies and the Misgav Institute, told Fox News Digital that the ceasefire gave Hamas breathing room to regroup.
“Everything that is happening will continue to happen as long as Hamas continues to effectively control the western part of the Gaza Strip,” Michael said.
“In general, Hamas now has complete freedom of movement,” he warned.
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Hamas terrorists are guarding the day of handing over hostages who have been held in Gaza since October 7, 2023, which is deadly. (Hatem Khaled/Reuters)
Since Israeli forces withdrew from parts of Gaza in October under a new ceasefire, Hamas has moved to fill the electricity gap.
Meanwhile, police returned to the streets as Hamas fighters targeted and killed suspected opponents.
Multiple reports indicate that Hamas is now rebuilding in key parts of Gaza, including areas where the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) previously operated.
A December report by the Jewish News Syndicate found that Hamas is “rebuilding its terror state” in about half of the territory it controls.
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Banners with the image of Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas terrorist leader who was killed in an Israeli attack, are hung in the streets of Tehran, Iran on Oct. 19, 2024. A huge banner hanging in Palestine Square reads, “Sinwar’s storm continues.” (Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Hamas is also preparing to appoint a new political leader following the deaths of Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of the October 7 massacre in Israel.
According to The Jerusalem Post, Hamas officials Khalil al-Hayya and Khaled Mashaal are the contenders, and Hayya is considered the favorite because of his popularity in Gaza and his role in the West Bank.
Michael said the leadership race is unlikely to change Hamas’s already dangerous course.
Both leaders are a problem,” he said. “Each, in his own way, is considered too violent and too powerful in his Gazan area and his support for armed resistance.”
Even Mashaal, who is often described as very politically oriented, “is still in line with the continued armed resistance,” Michael added.
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Hamas politburo member Khalil al-Hayya attends a news conference in Damascus, Syria on October 19, 2022. (Yamam al Shaar/REUTERS/File Photo)
“When it comes to Hamas, it doesn’t matter who will be the political leader of this terrorist organization.”
Michael said that one of the most alarming things is the increasing success of Hamas in recruiting youth during the ceasefire.
“It’s very easy for Hamas to recruit young people now because they effectively control the western part of the Gaza Strip,” he noted, noting that Hamas has become “the most reliable employer in the Gaza Strip,” offering little money to 16- or 17-year-old boys.
“It seems natural for them to join Hamas, because some of them have lost relatives, so there is a motive for revenge.”
“They may also prefer to be in violent communities, such as the ghettos of Chicago,” he said.
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Michael suggested that because Hamas “has complete freedom of movement, they have also rebuilt tunnels.”
“They also appointed new governors in different regions of Gaza and rebuilt their government and military assets,” Michael said.
