In the show of strength, Hamas sent a message about its control over Gaza

Among the most amazing images of the three Israelis The hostages are being released on Sunday.a video showing dozens of armed Hamas fighters being handed over in Gaza City, fully armed.

The men who surrounded the women as they moved to the Red Cross were wearing matching new combat fatigues and black balaclavas, with green bandanas and the Hamas logo tied around their heads.

They arrived in a convoy of several white vehicles that looked clean and unscathed, standing out from the mass destruction in their area.

Although it was impossible to count the exact number, dozens of militants surrounded the convoy, with many more militants scattered among the people who had come to watch.

In the year The October 7, 2023 massacre in Israel was the first major public appearance in months for the militant group, which killed 1,200 people.

The attack follows 15 months of war and devastating Israeli bombardment in Gaza that has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children.

Hamas song

According to those who have studied Israel’s arch-rival, the music performed at the handover site appeared to be well thought out and designed to convey a message to Hamas opponents as well as the Palestinians.

“They’re trying to show control,” said Irwin Mansdorf with the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs.

“The fact that they took control of Gaza after all the injuries and damage they suffered is their main achievement,” he told CBC News in Jerusalem.

Although the names of Romy Gonen, Emilie Damaris and Doron Steinbrecher were handed over to Israel too late to implement the ceasefire, the team was ready to take over. It has been seen.

Each – held against their will for 470 days – was presented with what Israeli media called a “gift bag” bearing the logo of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the militant wing of Hamas.

Inside, it said, were photographs of captive women, a small map of Gaza and hangings. A Hamas videographer took pictures before they took the bags away and later published a video on social media.

While Hamas tried to portray Israelis as strangers rather than captives during the only hostage released in November 2023, this incident was more elaborate.

“This was not intended for Israeli consumption,” Mansdorff said, suggesting that Hamas was trying to portray the Palestinians and the group as sympathetic actors.

The women were given release certificates printed by Hamas, ostensibly to prove their detention in Gaza.

Mansdorff said it was remarkable that Hamas was able to pull together an event when basic services for hundreds of thousands of civilians in Gaza were about to collapse.

“Where did you get the printing house (certificates)? To put these certificates (stationery) you go to the store and clean the laundry detergent?”

Strength unclear

The exact strength of the militant group is uncertain.

Israeli authorities a year ago He said it is approximately 18,000 Of the 25,000 Hamas fighters captured at the beginning of the war, they were killed in the attack. They now put the death toll at 20,000, but Hamas says Israel greatly exaggerated the number.

Haaretz, a left-leaning Israeli publication that is often highly critical of the government; Israel Defense Forces (IDF)) Killing civilians indiscriminately in Gaza and then claiming that the victims belong to Hamas.

Of late, US officials with the former Biden administration They pointed out. Although Hamas has lost thousands of fighters, they believe the group has been able to replace the loss with new recruits because of Israel’s resentment of its territory.

Officials in Benjamin Netanyahu’s government admit the militant group is a formidable military force.

“We haven’t gotten rid of Hamas, but we’ve certainly turned Hamas from a full-fledged army into a guerrilla army,” said Sharren Haskell, a Canadian-born Israeli member of the Knesset who currently serves as the country’s deputy foreign minister. .

She said the rally around the hostage exchange was a propaganda effort by Hamas, adding that because of the ceasefire, members of the group were now confident they would “dare to come out of their hiding places”. she said.

Whether the ceasefire is a temporary truce or a permanent cease-fire, Hamas appears to be taking swift steps to ensure its presence in Gaza and thwart any efforts by other groups to take over.

In addition to the hostage exchange, Hamas uniformed police were once again seen on the streets of Gaza, albeit in smaller numbers.

“They’re trying to show authority,” Haskell said.

After the war plan

Netanyahu has repeatedly said his goal is to drive Hamas out of Gaza, but has refused to say who he believes should lead the state.

Hamas’s rival, the Palestinian Authority (PA), is led by the Fatah party, which controls the occupied West Bank and is headquartered in Ramallah.

The PA has announced it is ready and wants to take full responsibility for Gaza, but both Netanyahu and Hamas have rejected that option.

Notably, the cease-fire agreement signed between Hamas and Israel does not include any official role for the PA.

The two rivals met in late 2024 to try to find a common future, but the process seems to have stalled for now.

In addition to its military wing, Hamas controls Gaza’s civilian government, whose officials run key services from the health department to garbage collection to the police.

And while many in Gaza blame Hamas for Israel’s destruction of the territory, it is rare to hear public criticism of the regime.

However, Hamas’s public resurgence on Day 1 of the cease-fire agreement has been widely discussed in the state.

“We didn’t expect this,” said Alaa Awda, a Gaza resident in Khan Younis. “(They had) new vehicles and new clothes like they were in hotels, not caves.”

“This is a shock for our people – not only for the Israelis – for the Palestinian people.”

Mohammed Abdu, who lives in Khan Younis, said that after months of missing Hamas militants from the streets of Gaza, everyone is surprised to see them suddenly.

“We never thought that Hamas would come back with this image and strength,” he said. “After what we saw (Sunday), we realized that Hamas is still here and still strong.”

And maybe not only in Gaza.

After Israel released 90 Palestinian prisoners early Monday morning, there was a huge celebration in the West Bank communities where the buses landed.

Prominent among the supporters were those waving Hamas flags and supporting the militants – no doubt a concern of the PN, which is concerned about growing support for Hamas in the West Bank.

Mansdorf said Hamas is using the moment to portray the ceasefire as a victory, despite the massive loss of Palestinian lives and damage to the territory.

“Is that a win? That’s how you’re doing it.”