There has been quite a bit of speculation in Israel in recent days that Hamas was nearing or already on the verge of collapse.
These are totally reasonable speculations given the wealth of information coming out of the Gaza Strip, including the confirmation from the IDF and the Shin Bet that Mohammed Sinwar, head of the terror group's military wing, was killed in an Israeli strike on a tunnel in Khan Younis last month.
With him were other high-level Hamas commanders, including the head of the Rafah brigade.
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Gaza residents leave northern areas after IDF calls for their evacuation
(Photo: Jehad Alshrafi / AP)
The IDF has been operating deliberately and meticulously in the Southern Gaza city, clearing it of Hamas terror forces and adding to the enormous destruction there. Thousands of Hamas fighters have been killed and the terror group no longer has a command structure that would allow it to operate like a military organization.
Humanitarian aid is increasingly being distributed by Israeli-affiliated or American organizations, thereby depriving Hamas of its hold on the governing of civilians and of the ability to generate an income from the aid.
Gaza residents at an American operated aid distribution center
More and more Gazans were now also willing to speak out against Hamas and in the south of the Strip, the Abu-Shabab clan was in physical confrontation with Hamas forces. As Hamas loses territory under its control, chaos has begun appearing throughout the area.
To Western eyes, there is no doubt that Hamas was on the run, if not already defeated.
But it would be a mistake to evaluate the intentions or actions of Hamas using Western considerations. Since the massacre of October 7, Hamas has repeatedly shown that it chooses Jihad over pragmatism, even if it would ease matters for the population in the Strip or improve the terror group's military capabilities.
Its ambiguous response to the latest proposal for a ceasefire on Saturday, under the Witkoff framework, makes it clear that, despite the claims in Israel that Hamas was at the breaking point, that was not the case.
Hamas has shown no signs that it is willing to surrender or hand over its weapons. The anguish of the civilian population of Gaza has no impact on the terror group and the possible death of tens of thousands more Palestinians and a few thousand terrorists would be considered a fair price to pay as long as the Hamas ideology, and therefore its military character, survives.
Avi IssacharoffPhoto: Yuval ChenHamas no longer holds on to a military structure and regards the survival of small bands of operatives working sporadically as a victory.
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To Hamas, the achievements come from its growing legitimacy and that of the Palestinian cause in the world, while Israel is losing its own. It also wins when the Israeli society is fractured and the rift between supporters and opponents of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu grows
Even in its response to the proposed deal, Hamas demanded changes to the pace of releasing hostages. According to a report in the Egyptian press, the 10 hostages that were to be released in the agreement would be spread over 60 days, according to the latest Hamas demand.
The terror group even added a new demand that the Rafah border crossing into Egypt be opened to allow the movement of Palestinians to and from the Strip.
Israel would not be able to accept those terms and the United States would likely also reject them, but Hamas was standing firm, proving once again that, regardless of the suffering of civilians in Gaza, Hamas would not budge for anything less than a permanent ceasefire