Hamas won't collapse, even with the death of both Sinwars
The Sinwars helped build Hamas into the genocidal powerhouse it was on October 7. However, their deaths have appeared to come and go without much of a change in the organization's behavior.
Mohammed Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, was killed on May 13. His death has now been confirmed. It was widely rumored to be true over the last ten days. However, Hamas hasn't appeared to change its behavior in Gaza.
The group continues to cling to the central camps area of Nuseirat, Maghazi, Bureij and Deir al-Balah. It still has fighters in Gaza City. It also has some limited control over other parts of Gaza.
Hamas has lost its entire chain of command inGaza. In many cases, its brigade and battalion commanders have been killed more than once. It has replaced them, and they were killed again. Sometimes it's possible that the commanders on October 7 were replaced, and not only was the replacement killed, but his replacement as well.
Company commanders of the group are also decimated. This is according to the IDF reports and other assessments. It's possible the reports are rosy and Hamas is in a better position than it looks.
For instance, Israel has been wrong in the past about assessments of success in Gaza. After the eleventh day of 2021 it was widely reported that the Hamas 'Metro' of tunnels in Gaza was set back 'years.' These reports were wrong. The metro was apparently not damaged very much, and Hamas repaired it in time for the October 2023 attack.
Hamas has always grown more powerful after wars with Israel. It has also replaced numerous leaders in the past. It has come back from blows such as losing Sheikh Yassin to an IDF airstrike, as well as Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi. Mahmoud Abdel Rauf al-Mabhouh, who was key to procuring weapons for Hamas, was also killed in 2010. A long list of Hamas leaders have come and gone.
The Sinwars helped build Hamas into the genocidal powerhouse it was on October 7. However, their deaths have appeared to come and go without much of a change in the organization's behavior.
Yahya Sinwar was hunted down and killed in Tal al-Sultan near Rafah in October 2024. He was alone when he was killed. A few of his last comrades scattered. His death reminds us of the death of the Persian leader Darius III who died fleeing Alexander the Great. He also died after his empire and his men had melted away. However, Hamas doesn't seem to be willing to give in.
This is what is perplexing about these tactical triumphs over the Hamas leaders in Gaza. Israel possesses great excellence in hunting down Hamas leaders and eliminating Hamas commanders. However, the larger strategy appears not to have met with tactical success. What that means is that as Hamas loses leaders, Hamas doesn't seem to actually cave in. Now that could be changing as situations change on the ground in Gaza. The IDF's new plan Gideon's Chariots is supposed to press home the attack and seize ground, rather than the raiding strategy the IDF conducted in 2024.
However, the lack of collapse among the Hamas cadres in the Central Camps is still striking. The group appears to be recruiting many young people who are not willing to stand and fight. Its arsenal is depleted. It doesn't seem to have much left. However, it holds 58 hostages and appears to continue to be able to communicate with its leaders in Doha when it comes to hostage deals.
In fact, the Hamas terms for these deals don't seem to change, despite leadership losses. The deal of January 2025, was primarily similar to the one Hamas wanted throughout 2024. The deal being discussed now is similar to the one offered Hamas in March.
Hamas has some things it wants. It wants an end to the war. However, it never seems to be on the verge of collapse. Even if it is, the deaths of its leaders don't seem to be leveraged in any kind of Clausewitz-like stratagem. Instead, Israel plods forward in tactical successes, without a clear post-war strategy or an exit strategy for Gaza, or even a way to replace Hamas with some other type of civilian authority. Hamas assumes all it has to do is wait and it will maintain some kind of control. Then it can find the next Sinwar to replace those who came before.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Popular Kids Entertainer Says She'll Risk Her Career To Stand Up For Children In Gaza
A modern-day Mr. Rogers is not backing down. Ms. Rachel, an extremely popular YouTuber whom toddlers may adore even more than chicken nuggets and bubbles, told NPR's 'Here and Now' Tuesday that she's willing to risk her career to advocate for children in Gaza. 'I wouldn't be Ms. Rachel if I didn't deeply care about all kids,' she told the outlet. 'And I would risk everything, and I will risk my career over and over to stand up for them. It's all about the kids for me.' There's quite a bit at stake. Ms. Rachel, whose full name is Rachel Accurso, has over 15 million subscribers on her YouTube channel, where kiddos tune in to watch the chipper children's educator teach and sing in her trademark overalls and pink headband. She has a Netflix deal where episodes of her interactive teaching program are available with subtitles in 33 languages. She's also got a toy chest's worth of merch. Accurso first made her stance about kids in Gaza public in May 2024, when she announced a fundraiser for children in Gaza and other war zones. Since then, she's consistently drawn attention to the tragedy in the territory — but last month, she seemed to hit a nerve. On May 21, she posted a video to her social media accounts in which she sang her popular song 'Hop Little Bunnies' while a 3-year-old girl from Gaza named Rahaf, who lost her legs in an airstrike, danced beside her. In response to the video, the pro-Israel group StopAntisemitism — which the Guardian says 'doxes people it deems antisemitic' — wrote a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi calling on her to investigate Ms. Rachel for being 'remunerated to disseminate Hamas-aligned propaganda to her millions of followers.' Ms. Rachel admitted to NPR that she finds the pushback 'painful,' but has continued her advocacy. 'It's really painful. And I have to remind myself that people don't know my heart, and people try to tell you who you are, but you know who you are,' she said. 'And I know how deeply and equally I care for all children, and I do lean on my faith in that situation.' She doubled down on her stance on Tuesday with a statement on social media. 'I stand against all forms of hate and violence — including antisemitism, anti-Palestinian hate, anti-Arab hate, anti-Muslim hate and all hate meant to divide us and cause harm rather than bring us together,' she wrote. 'Every child, person and every family deserves to feel valued, loved and safe.' She continued, 'Let's continue to model empathy, compassion and teach our children that we are all connected.' 'When we hate, deny people human rights and attack each other, we all suffer,' she concluded. 'When we love, respect all people's human rights and show compassion, we all thrive. We all rise.' Ms. Rachel also illustrated on Tuesday how her advocacy extends to every child by posting an Instagram Story in support of the Jewish community after a man attacked a peaceful protest calling for the release of Israeli hostages in Boulder, Colorado, on Sunday. 'Our hearts are with the Boulder Jewish Community and everyone impacted by this horrendous violence,' she wrote. Israeli Forces Kill At Least 27 People On Their Way To Aid Site In Gaza 'Indiscriminate, Unrestrained, Brutal': Former Israeli PM Calls Gaza Assault 'War Crimes' Israel's Latest Strikes In Gaza Kill 38 People Including Children
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Following antisemitic attacks, Rapaport warns Jewish people the ‘cavalry ain't coming' to save them
Comedian and actor Michael Rapaport is alarmed that more non-Jewish people aren't speaking out in defense of Jewish people following multiple violent attacks against them. In the latest episode of his podcast posted Tuesday, Rapaport warned fellow Jewish people to keep on guard over the rising antisemitic violence in the country as other people don't seem to be rushing to their defense. "I'm telling you something, Jewish people, the cavalry ain't coming. The cavalry is not coming for us. They don't give a f---," he said. 'Usaid' Paperwork Found In Car Of Boulder Terror Attack Suspect Targeting Pro-israel Group The comedian has become a prominent advocate for Israel and the Jewish people following the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack in Israel in 2023, and the raucous anti-Israel protests that consumed many U.S. college campuses in its wake. Rapaport's latest words come after suspect Mohamed Sabry Soliman allegedly set pro-Jewish protesters on fire in Boulder, Colorado using a makeshift flamethrower and Molotov cocktails. Read On The Fox News App Soliman, an Egyptian national who overstayed his travel visa, was arrested on Sunday following the attack on demonstrators protesting Hamas continuing to hold hostages in Gaza. Twelve protesters were injured. Slain Israeli Embassy Workers Were On Verge Of Engagement, Ambassador Says Before his arrest, the suspect was caught on video yelling "free Palestine" and other anti-Israel slogans during the attack. Soliman later told police he wanted to kill "all Zionist people." The attack comes less than two weeks after two Israeli diplomats were gunned down outside a Jewish event in Washington, D.C. Rapaport expressed frustration at having spoken up for multiple marginalized communities and feeling as though other groups have failed to speak up for Jewish communities now under threat. "I have spoken out on behalf of Black Lives Matter, George Floyd. I have spoken out on behalf on women's rights. I called [Supreme Court Justice] Clarence Thomas 'Uncle Clarence.' I've spoken on abortion rights. Every single thing under the sun on social media in the last, I don't know, ten years – let's say ten years – I have spoken out," he said. Click Here For More Coverage Of Media And Culture "I put a f------ black square up there like a f------ a------ during Black Lives Matter," he continued, mentioning the viral social media post made in solidarity with that movement in 2020. "Don't you feel like an a------ now for putting up a black square during Black Lives Matter when nobody is coming and saying anything on our behalf?" he asked. "Nobody is coming and saying anything on our behalf, Jewish people, Zionist people. They're not calling, they're not texting, they're not tweeting. They're not leaving comments. They're not DMing [Direct Messaging]. They're not doing s---." The comedian added, "It's sad, it's frustrating. You feel used. You feel manipulated. You feel like a sucker. I feel like it too!"Original article source: Following antisemitic attacks, Rapaport warns Jewish people the 'cavalry ain't coming' to save them
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Boulder attack was devastating — but unsurprising for some Jewish leaders
Stefanie Clarke was sitting in her Boulder, Colorado, home texting her best friend early Sunday afternoon. The two Jewish women, who met on a trip to Israel in 1990, were discussing how the actions of the Israeli government have created an unsafe environment for Jews around the world. But as Clarke was about to send another message, she received a terrifying notification: someone had just attacked a group of demonstrators on Pearl Street. The demonstrators, who gathered every week, were raising awareness for hostages held in Gaza. 'I felt like I had this out-of-body experience. I couldn't believe that this was the conversation I was having, and here it was in my own backyard on Pearl Street at a place I have been hundreds of times,' Clarke, co-founder of Stop Antisemitism Colorado, told POLITICO. Sunday's attack, which left at least 12 people wounded, came just two weeks after a gunman, identified asElias Rodriguez,killed two Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington, D.C., and about two months after a man, Cody Balmer, allegedly set fire to the official residence of Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, who is Jewish. In all three cases, the suspects expressed support for Palestinian rights. Already on high alert, Jewish Americans are now demanding leaders address misconceptions they say have affected those who have fallen prey to misinformation. 'There's a tremendous amount of disinformation,' said Daniel Rosen, president of the American Jewish Congress. 'What we are seeing now is a tragic war translating into rhetoric which then leads to violence on American soil where Jews are being attacked for being Jews, having no role in a war on the other side of the globe.' The D.C. gunman allegedly shouted, 'Free, free Palestine!' as he opened fire. On Sunday, the suspect allegedly yelled out to demonstrators, 'Free Palestine!' Authorities said the suspect in the arson on Shapiro's mansion also expressed anger overthe war in Gaza. The cries for Palestinian freedom, Clarke said, indicate a lack of understanding of who does and doesn't have power. Israel has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians in response to the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that killed 1,200. Hamas took hundreds of hostages in that attack. 'Burning Jews alive on the streets of Boulder is not going to save anybody in Gaza,' she said. 'I don't have enough control to stop what is happening in my own country, how do I have any bearing on what is happening from the Israeli government?' She continued, 'The majority of Jews identify as Zionists. That doesn't mean that we support what the government of Israel is doing. I have never had a conversation with another Jew who has condoned what is happening in Gaza. It breaks our hearts. It rips out our hearts to see any innocent person suffer.' Still, with the increase in antisemitic attacks, synagogues and Jewish community gatherings have increased their security following the Oct. 7 attack. Since 2020, Temple Emanuel in Denver has had to hire armed guards. Before each service, leaders now point out all exits and remind congregants that if there's any need to evacuate quickly, follow leaders. 'I hate the fact that we have to spend that money [on security guards], but we have no choice,' Senior Rabbi Joseph Black said. But even with added security, Black said multiple congregants have reached out since Sunday, concerned about their safety at upcoming services and events. Anger toward Israel's actions, he added, has extended 'beyond the State of Israel to the Jewish people, and it is mining a vein of antisemitism that, unfortunately, has been around for centuries.' Even though Black believes officials must strongly condemn Sunday's attack, he said he doesn't hold elected leaders responsible for the attack. Colorado leaders, he said, have been supportive of providing security for Jewish communities. For Rosen, leaders both elected and within the Jewish community must find better ways of monitoring social media to try to prevent attacks like Sunday's. Authorities saidthe suspect had planned Sunday's attack for over a year and had charged him with multiple offenses, including a federal hate crime and state attempted murder charges. On Tuesday, authorities detainedthe family of the suspect, Mohamed Sabry Soliman. And though President Donald Trump on Monday called the attack 'horrific,' he also used the incident to lay blame on Joe Biden, arguing the former president's border policy allowed the suspect to remain in the U.S. with an expired visa. 'There's this sense of oblivion, perhaps, that the Jewish community is traumatized,' Black said. But he doesn't expect that fear to dissipate anytime soon, either. 'Antisemitism has been around for thousands of years. It's not going away. What we're seeing is what was always there beneath the surface. We saw it in Charlottesville, we saw it in Pittsburgh, we saw it in Washington, D.C. We saw it in Colleyville, and now we see it here and Boulder. I'm sure it's going to happen again,' he said.
