The 'Israeli' daily Haaretz reported on Tuesday that recent army assessments acknowledge the failure of 'Israel’s' strategy to support armed militias opposed to Hamas inside the Gaza Strip.

 

According to the report, most of these groups have “disbanded” and no longer pose any real challenge to Hamas’s authority.

 

The admission comes as Hamas’s security apparatus continues a sweeping campaign across Gaza, which has included summary executions of individuals accused of collaboration or treason, aimed at reasserting full control over the territory.

 

Army assessments: militias dismantled, strategy failed

According to Haaretz, the militias that 'Israel' attempted to back in recent months, with the goal of creating a local alternative to Hamas rule or at least a political and military counterweight, “failed to fulfill this role.”

 

The paper cited military assessments indicating that “most of them have disbanded, or their members have been neutralized to an extent that prevents them from posing any real threat” to Hamas’s grip on internal security.

 

Hamas’s security crackdown

The 'Israeli' evaluation comes amid Hamas’s ongoing large-scale security campaign, led by forces including the “Rada’a Unit,” launched immediately after the 'Israeli' army began its withdrawal from parts of the Strip.

 

The campaign has reportedly involved the pursuit and execution of individuals accused of collaboration with 'Israel' or affiliation with these anti-Hamas militias.

 

In recent weeks, Palestinian social media platforms circulated graphic videos allegedly showing members of Hamas’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, carrying out public executions in Gaza City of those accused of treason.

 

Unclear identities of the militias

Haaretz did not specify the names of these militias in its report. However, previous media accounts have pointed to the existence of several armed factions opposed to Hamas operating in various parts of Gaza. Other footage suggested some of these groups had received logistical assistance and supplies from the border areas adjacent to 'Israeli'-held territory.

 

Strategic setback and “day after” implications

Analysts say the failure of these militias represents a significant blow to 'Israel’s' broader strategy, which aimed to foster local alternatives to Hamas rule or at least generate internal instability to justify continued 'Israeli' security control over parts of Gaza.

 

According to 'Israeli' assessments cited by Haaretz, this outcome underscores Hamas’s ability to swiftly and decisively reassert internal control, a development that complicates the so-called “day after” plans being discussed by the United States and other international actors, which envision a post-Hamas administration capable of governing the Strip both politically and militarily.