By Eric Vandenbroeck and co-workers

Why Hamas refuses to give up fighting Israel in Gaza

Israel has killed thousands of Hamas fighters, taken out most of its senior military command, and destroyed much of its arsenal and underground tunnel network.

The country’s relentless military campaign has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, cities have been reduced to rubble, and people have struggled daily to find enough food, water, and electricity.

And yet Hamas has refused to surrender. The group wants to secure its future in the Gaza Strip, but its unwillingness to give up to Israel and disarm is also rooted in its ideology.

Since the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct 7, 2023, which ignited the war in Gaza, the group’s leaders have acknowledged that the resulting Israeli counter-attack has caused enormous destruction. But they have said it is a “price” Palestinians must pay for their ultimate freedom.

In interviews, some Hamas leaders have said that the group’s calculation was less about defeating Israel on the battlefield and more about drawing the government into an intractable conflict, one that isolates it diplomatically and undermines its international support. Eventually, they say, Israel will be compelled to realize that its policies towards Palestinians are not sustainable.

“Surrender, as Israel and America are calling for it, is not in Hamas’ dictionary,” said Khaled al-Hroub, a professor at Northwestern University in Qatar, who has written books about the group.

Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the leader of Hamas’ military wing, said recently that if he cannot get what he described as an honorable deal to end the war with Israel, then the conflict would become a war of liberation or the group would face “martyrdom,” according to a senior Middle Eastern intelligence official familiar with al-Haddad’s thinking.

What Hamas considers to be an “honourable deal” is an agreement that could lead to the end of the war and enable the group to continue wielding power in Gaza.

A still showing Israeli hostage Evyatar David being held in a Gaza tunnel from the video released by Hamas

Hamas has previously agreed to temporary ceasefires with Israel in part to provide relief to people in Gaza. But it has firmly rejected ending the war on terms set by Israel, which has demanded the group disarm and send its leaders into exile, and has shown a willingness to tolerate the ongoing suffering of civilians in pursuit of the deal that it wants.

There are no suggestions that Hamas’ position is shifting. This week, it released a statement reiterating that it was ready to accept a deal that would see the release of all remaining hostages held in Gaza in exchange for several Palestinian prisoners, an end to the war, and a withdrawal of Israeli forces.

But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas by force or dismantle it through negotiation, and has rebuffed any deal on the end of the conflict that would leave the group intact.

 

Gazans are also frustrated with Hamas

Civilians in Gaza have paid the highest price for the continuation of the war.

“Have Hamas’ weapons stopped Israel from killing us?” said Abdullah Shehab, 32, who has been staying at his sister’s home in Gaza City since he was forced to leave his hometown, Jabalia, at the end of May. “Have they stopped Israel from invading our cities? The only thing Hamas’ weapons have done is justify Israel to continue the massacres.”

During the October attack, some 1,200 people were killed and about 250 others were abducted, according to Israeli authorities. While Hamas has celebrated the attack, more than 60,000 people in Gaza have been killed in the ensuing war, said the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

The seemingly irreconcilable positions of Hamas and Israel on how to end the war suggest that the fighting will continue until one side is forced to compromise.

And Hamas believes that Israel will eventually come to terms with an agreement that does not require the group to give in, Palestinian political analysts say.

“They know that the continuation of the war is very costly, but they’re hopeful that they’ll get a deal they can live with, if they remain patient and steadfast,” said Esmat Mansour, a Palestinian analyst who spent years in Israeli prisons with several top Hamas leaders.

“They see the internal and external pressure on Israel to end the war, and they know that Israel can’t free the captives without them,” he added. “So they’re saying to themselves, ‘Why should we surrender when we can get something better?’”

 

 

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