Despite the comprehensive war waged by the Israel on the Gaza Strip and its application of the “scorched earth” policy, the Hamas movement and the Palestinian resistance factions are still steadfast and confronting the attempts of Israeli forces to advance on the ground. Through the following report, Reuters monitors the extent of Hamas’ readiness for this battle and its vision for the end of the war. 

Reuters quotes two sources close to the leadership of Hamas that the movement is preparing for a long and protracted war in the Gaza Strip, and believes that it is capable of obstructing the advance of the Israeli forces for a sufficient period of time to force its arch enemy to agree to a ceasefire.

The two sources, who refused to reveal their identities due to the sensitivity of the situation, said that Hamas has been stockpiling weapons, missiles, food, and medical supplies.

Ending the siege on Gaza

They added that the movement is confident that thousands of its fighters can survive for several months in a city of tunnels dug deep into the Palestinian Strip, and that they have the ability to keep Israeli forces busy with guerrilla warfare tactics in urban areas.

The two sources said that Hamas believes that international pressure on Israel, in the end, to end the siege with increasing civilian casualties, could impose a ceasefire and reach a negotiated settlement that would provide a tangible concession such as the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the release of Israeli prisoners.

Four Hamas officials, a regional official, and a source familiar with the White House's thinking indicated that the movement made clear to the United States and Israel, during indirect negotiations regarding the prisoners mediated by Qatar, that it wanted to impose such a prisoner release.

In the longer term, Hamas said it wants to end the 17-year-old Israeli siege of Gaza, as well as halt Israeli settlement expansion and what Palestinians see as harsh actions by Israeli security forces at Al-Aqsa Mosque.

On Thursday, United Nations experts called for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, saying that the Palestinians there face a “grave risk of genocide.” Many experts believe that there is an escalating crisis, with no clear end in sight for either side.

Marwan Muasher, who previously held the positions of Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of Jordan, and currently works at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said: “The mission of destroying Hamas will not be easy to achieve,” and added: “There will be no military solution to this conflict. We are going through difficult times, and the war will not be short."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to eliminate Hamas and rejected calls for a ceasefire. Israeli officials say they have no idea what might await them, and accuse Hamas of hiding behind civilians.

Danny Danon, the former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations and a former member of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, said that his country had prepared for a “long and painful war,” and added to Reuters: “We know that we will win in the end and that we will defeat Hamas. The question will be what the price will be.” “We have to be very careful and realize that maneuvering in an urban area is very complicated.”

The United States said that now is not the time for a general ceasefire, but says that a cessation of hostilities is necessary to deliver humanitarian aid.

Hamas "fully prepared"

Adeeb Ziadeh, a Palestinian expert in international affairs at Qatar University who has participated in studies on Hamas, told Reuters that the movement must have a long-term plan: “Those who carried out the October 7 attack with this level of competence and this "The level of experience, precision and strength, they must be prepared for a long-term battle. Hamas cannot engage in such an attack without being fully prepared and mobilized to face the outcome."

The source familiar with the White House's thinking, who requested anonymity to speak freely, said that Washington expects Hamas to try to lure Israeli forces into a battle in the streets of Gaza and inflict on them military losses heavy enough to weaken Israeli public support for a long-term conflict.

He added that, however, Israeli officials have assured their American counterparts that they are prepared to confront Hamas' guerrilla tactics, as well as withstand international criticism of Israeli attacks. He also said that the question is whether Israel is able to eliminate Hamas, or merely severely weaken its power, remains standing.

Sources in Hamas say that the number of its fighters is about 40,000, and they can move throughout the Strip using a vast network of fortified tunnels, hundreds of kilometers long and up to 80 meters deep, that were built over many years.

Gunmen in Gaza were seen on Thursday emerging from tunnels to shoot at tanks, then disappearing back into the tunnel network, according to residents and videos.

The Israeli occupation army says that soldiers from the Yahalom unit, a special forces unit of the Israeli combat engineering corps, are working with other units to uncover, evacuate and destroy the tunnels, in what a spokesman described as a “complex battle” in Gaza.

Hamas has fought a series of wars against Israel in the past few decades, and Ali Baraka, head of the Hamas National Relations Department who resides in Beirut, told Reuters that the movement has developed and strengthened its military capabilities over the years.

Baraka said: “Our weapons are national security. No one knows what we have. In every war, we must surprise them with something new. We are working on making the missile accurate and lethal, and we are developing the missiles we have.” He added that in the 2008 Gaza war the maximum range of Hamas rockets was 40 kilometers, but that increased to 230 kilometers in 2021.

There is no peace without the Palestinians

Osama Hamdan, a Hamas leader residing in Lebanon, told Reuters that the October 7 attack and the war on Gaza will put the Palestinian issue on the map again. He added to Reuters: “This is an opportunity for us to tell them that we can fulfill our destiny.” With our own hands, we can arrange the region’s cards as we want, and as it protects our interests.”

An Arab peace initiative, with broad international support and Arab consensus, has been on the table since 2002. The plan offers Israel peace treaties with full diplomatic relations in exchange for the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state.

Instead, Netanyahu chose for Israel to create an alliance with Sunni Arab countries. The coalition consists of Egypt and Jordan, which signed peace treaties with Israel in 1979 and 1994, in addition to the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco.

Before the Hamas attack on October 7, US-brokered talks were being held with Saudi Arabia to reach a historic diplomatic agreement that would form a united front against Iran, but this process has been suspended since then.

Muasher said that the Hamas attack destroyed any possibility of achieving stability in the Middle East without dealing with the Palestinians, and added: “It is clear today that without peace with the Palestinians there will be no peace in the region.”