Governance in the rubble – why Hamas still holds Gaza |
A recent Reuters investigation citing internal Israeli military assessments offers an unexpected snapshot of post-war Gaza administration – one that complicates the official narrative of Hamas’ dismantlement.
This is a snapshot of post-war Gaza administration. Hamas poses a structural contradiction at the heart of Washington and Tel Aviv’s political narrative.
For over a year, the stated objective of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has been the dismantling of Hamas’ governing capacity. Yet the Israeli military assessment cited by Reuters concedes something far more inconvenient: Hamas is “advancing steps on the ground” to preserve its grip “from the bottom up.” That phrase alone deserves to be quoted in your article – because it reveals that the erosion of Hamas has not translated into political displacement.
The military document acknowledges that at least 14 of Gaza’s 17 ministries are now functioning, compared with five at the height of the war.
Thirteen of twenty-five municipalities have resumed operations. Taxes are being collected. Salaries are being paid. Governors – some linked to the al-Qassam Brigades have been appointed. Police stations have reopened. Markets are being regulated.
Thirteen of twenty-five municipalities have resumed operations. Taxes are being collected. Salaries are being paid. Governors – some linked to the al-Qassam Brigades have been appointed. Police stations have reopened. Markets are being regulated.
This is not the language of eradication. It is the language of administrative recovery.
Even more striking is the Israeli military’s own forward-looking assessment: “without Hamas disarmament and under the auspices of the technocrat committee, Hamas will succeed… to preserve influence and control.” That is not a Hamas claim. That is Israel’s internal analysis. It undercuts the official assertion, delivered anonymously by an Israeli official, that “Hamas is finished as a governing authority.”
An organisation cannot be “finished” while simultaneously collecting taxes on cigarettes, batteries and mobile........