Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups are likely in the “early stages of the reconstitution of their military and governance capabilities” in the north of the Gaza Strip, two military think tanks said.
In their latest battlefield assessment on the war, the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and the Critical Threats Project (CTP) said that Israeli forces had reduced their “footprint” in the north of Gaza since December 31, allowing for the re-emergence of “Hamas-backed governing structures” in some areas.
While Israeli forces are expanding ground operations in the south’s Khan Younis after declaring key areas of the north “cleared” of Hamas’s main fighting forces, Palestinian fighters are again “reconstituting militarily” in the north of Gaza.
“Hamas and other Palestinian fighters are already contesting Israeli raids into the northern Gaza Strip, which indicates that Hamas is reconstituting some of its military capabilities,” the ISW and CTP said.
LINK: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/1/23/israels-war-on-gaza-ground-shaking-in-hospital-amid-israeli-attacks
