Hamas is rebuilding, recruiting, producing new weapons, Israeli military warns

While still refusing to give up its weapons, Hamas is exploiting the ceasefire to rebuild its military capabilities, according to a top-secret document presented to Israel’s political leadership, Channel 13 News reported Sunday.

Hamas is bolstering its battalions with dozens of new recruits and has managed to conduct “hundreds” of theoretical and practical training exercises despite the IDF’s proximity, according to the document.

The terror group is reportedly collecting intelligence on Israeli forces operating in Gaza.  

The group is also producing hundreds of explosive devices, mortars and anti-tank missiles every month and could possibly attempt to replicate Hezbollah’s success using first-person view (FPV) drones, a. military official said.

“We take into account that Hamas sees what is happening with FPV drones in the North and likely wants to obtain similar capabilities, though we have not identified anything like that here so far,” a senior official told Ynet.

On Sunday, an IDF reservist was killed by an FPV drone in northern Israel, bringing the total of soldiers killed through this new military tactic to four. The drones have also killed one civilian and wounded dozens of troops during the ceasefire.

“At the same time, our hold on the ground is significantly more effective now,” the Israeli official continued. “We are not stuck in positions. We initiate raids and attacks deep inside the sector. Can they attack us? Certainly. That is a major concern, but we are moving and maintaining mobility at all times.”

This comes as Ynet News reported that the IDF is preparing for a possible ground maneuver in the Gaza Strip alongside negotiations to end the war.

The IDF has ramped up targeted attacks in recent weeks, killing more than 100 Hamas operatives in the Gaza Strip while expanding its control from 53% to 59% of the Gaza Strip.

“Every threat is attacked, even if it is deep inside Gaza,” a senior military official told Ynet. “We have the tools we need from the Air Force and military intelligence. More can always be done, but wherever there are threats, we act.”

“There are many targeted killings of terrorists, the ones who actually carry out terrorist activity,” a security official said. “Sometimes that is much more effective than targeting a senior figure everyone knows who appears only in photographs.”

A ground maneuver in the Gaza Strip would require the Air Force and military intelligence to divert focus from attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon and readiness during the ceasefire with Iran.

In the meantime, troops in Gaza continue to destroy terror infrastructure on the Israeli side of the Yellow Line, including two tunnels – about 2 kilometers each – which included living quarters, weapons, rockets, and explosive devices.

Overall, 8 kilometers (5 miles) of tunnels have been cleared in the security zone over the past six months, a senior military official told Ynet.