'Security situation has completely collapsed': Hamas has lost 80% of its control over Gaza- report - Jerusalem Post Staff

 

by Jerusalem Post Staff

“Let’s be realistic here, there’s barely anything left of the security structure. Most of the leadership, about 95%, are now dead,” the Hamas official told the BBC."

 

Members of Hamas with the backdrop of the Gaza Strip, amid reports that Hamas has lost control of much of its territory.

(photo credit: Shutterstock/Ali Chehade Farhat, REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa)

 

Hamas has reportedly lost about 80% of its control over Gaza, a senior official from the terrorist organization told the BBC.

The official explained that Hamas’s command and control infrastructure had collapsed after months of Israeli airstrikes, which wiped out its political, military, and security leadership.

“Let’s be realistic here – there’s barely anything left of the security structure. Most of the leadership, about 95%, are now dead... The active figures have all been killed,” he said in the interview published Sunday.

“Logically, it has to continue until the end,” the Hamas official said. “All the conditions are aligned: Israel has the upper hand, the world is silent, the Arab regimes are silent, criminal gangs are everywhere, and society is collapsing.

“Let me be clear: the security situation has completely collapsed. There is no control anywhere.

“So, the security situation is zero. Hamas’s control is zero. There’s no leadership, no command, no communication. Salaries are delayed, and when they arrive, they are barely usable. Some die just trying to collect them. It’s total collapse.”

Determined to destroy Hamas' capabilities

On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he and US President Donald Trump are determined to eliminate Hamas’s military capabilities, in addition to bringing the hostages home.

“We are still focused on the Gaza arena. We have also achieved great successes there, but there are still tasks to complete,” Netanyahu stated prior to his visit to Washington.

“We are also determined to ensure that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel. This means we will not allow a situation where there are more kidnappings, more killings, more beheadings, or more invasions. This means one thing: the destruction of Hamas’s military and governmental capabilities. Hamas will not be there.”

Hamas’s weakening grip on Gaza

In June, IDF Spokesperson Brig.-Gen. Effie Defrin stated that Hamas’s grip on Gaza was weakening as Israeli forces continued operations both above and below ground, The Jerusalem Post reported.

“Hamas is losing control. It continues to operate against its own civilians,” Defrin stated. He said the “distribution of food severely harms Hamas and its rule. Tens of thousands of meals are distributed daily to Gazans.”

The IDF has recently been operating near Gaza Humanitarian Foundation food distribution sites in southern Gaza to prevent Hamas terrorists and local clans from taking control of the food, thereby allowing Palestinian civilians to safely receive aid.

Jerusalem Post Staff

Source: https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-860186

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