It is easy today to say that Hamas has ended. Gaza is destroyed. The movement’s leaders have been targeted. Its military structure has been badly hit. Its ability to govern has declined. Its popular base inside Gaza is more exhausted and angry than ever before. These are facts that cannot be denied.

But turning these facts into one conclusion that Hamas has ended; is a big analytical leap. A partial military defeat does not mean the end of a political movement. A reduced ability to govern does not mean the disappearance of influence. And losing part of its popular support does not mean Hamas has left Palestinian political history.

This is why I disagree with the view that Hamas has ended. It is more accurate to say that Hamas has come out of this war as a different movement: weaker militarily, heavier politically, and more dependent on its ability to survive than on its ability to govern. But it has not disappeared. It has not been replaced. And so far, no Palestinian force has appeared that can fill the vacuum it may leave behind.

The real question is not: is Hamas as strong as it was before 7th October? The answer is clear: no. The real question is: has Hamas lost its ability to influence the future of Gaza and the Palestinian cause? Here, the answer is very different. Hamas is still present in the prisoners file, in any ceasefire arrangements, in the question of security inside Gaza, and in the debate over the “day after”. Even those who want to remove it from power are still forced to negotiate around its role, weapons, or influence. That alone means it has not ended.

There is a major confusion between the end of daily administrative power and the end of a political movement. Hamas may no longer be able to govern Gaza as it once did. But it still has something important in the logic of conflict: the ability to prevent others from governing Gaza easily without it.

There is a major confusion between the end of daily administrative power and the end of a political movement. Hamas may no longer be able to govern Gaza as it once did. But it still has something important in the logic of conflict: the ability to prevent others from governing Gaza easily without it.

This is not a small form of power. In politics, a movement does not always need to govern in order to remain influential. Sometimes it is enough that its........

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