Tunnel network as an advantage

Many fighters lost – Hamas now changing tactics

Pictures published by Hamas show battles between fighters from the Qassam Brigades and the Israeli army in Gaza in November 2023.

(Bild: APA/AFP/HAMAS MEDIA OFFICE)

Eight months after the start of the Gaza war, the number of Hamas fighters has shrunk significantly: insiders from the USA and Israel believe that the radical Islamic group has lost around half of its armed forces. As a result, Hamas is changing its tactics.

US insiders with knowledge of the developments estimate their number at around 9,000 to 12,000 now, compared to 20,000 to 25,000 before the war. As a result, Hamas is now avoiding longer battles with the Israeli armed forces and instead switching to surprise attacks and ambushes, said a US representative. According to Israel, it has lost almost 300 soldiers. A Hamas spokesperson was unable to comment on the change in tactics.

Huge network of tunnels as a retreat
The US insiders said that the strategy could lead to Hamas' battles dragging on for months. They would be supported by weapons smuggled through the underground tunnel system and unexploded Israeli shells that Hamas would reuse. Over many years, Hamas has developed a network of tunnels in the Gaza Strip that is around 500 kilometers long and equipped with water, electricity and ventilation. It also houses command and control centers.

A US insider said that Hamas is able to retreat quickly after attacks, take cover and regroup. It then reappears in areas that Israel had assumed were free of fighters.

"They wait until they deploy"
Residents of the Gaza Strip have also noticed a change in Hamas tactics. "Previously, Hamas fighters intercepted, attacked and fired at Israeli troops as soon as they entered their territory," Wissam Ibrahim told the Reuters news agency by telephone. "But now they have noticeably changed their approach. They wait until they deploy and then start their ambushes and attacks."

At the beginning of the war after the Hamas attack on October 7, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared the destruction of the terrorist group as the goal. This is still a long way off, explains a military spokesman. Israel is adapting to the group's changed tactics. But it is not possible to eliminate every Hamas fighter or destroy every tunnel. That is not a realistic goal. "The destruction of Hamas as a government is an achievable military goal." The spokesman also assumes that the number of Hamas fighters has been roughly halved.

Rafah is repeatedly bombarded by Israel's army.

(Bild: APA/AFP/Eyad BABA)

Rafah as the last Hamas bastion
According to Israeli and US representatives, between 7,000 and 8,000 Hamas fighters are said to be holed up in Rafah on the border with Egypt - the group's last significant bastion of resistance. The Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, his brother Mohammed and Sinwar's deputy Mohammed Deif are still alive and are hiding in tunnels together with Israeli hostages.