Senior IDF officers warn: Hamas is rehabilitating, prepares for renewed fighting in Gaza
Despite ceasefire, IDF continues targeted eliminations of Hamas commanders
Senior officials in the Intelligence Branch and the Southern Command briefed IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir that Hamas' military wing is preparing to resume intense fighting, Kan News reported.
According to the report, during the ceasefire since October 2025, Hamas has resumed recruiting and weapons manufacturing in the area of the Gaza Strip under its control.
The Al-Qassam Brigades is producing hundreds of explosives and anti-tank missiles every month, the report claims. At the same time, the group is recruiting hundreds of new fighters, mostly aged 18 to 22, and has recently begun training operatives to join its elite Nukhba force, which spearheaded many of the assaults during the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre.
Additionally, Hamas has resumed smuggling operations, particularly of small drones to use in ambushes, similar to Hezbollah’s current tactics in southern Lebanon, and communication equipment.
Much of this smuggling activity is carried out via contacts in the Sinai peninsula. At the same time, the IDF assesses Hamas has been working to rehabilitate its underground tunnel infrastructure throughout the Gaza Strip, as well as the smuggling tunnels under the border with Egypt.
Meanwhile, the IDF continues working inside the Yellow Line, particularly in the Rafah area, to find and destroy tunnels and other underground infrastructure, to prevent their use against Israeli troops or the southern border communities.
According to a report in Channel 14, the IDF is also carrying out targeted raids in the area of Khan Younis, the stronghold which was home to several former Hamas leaders, to locate weapons and to prevent attempts by the terror organization to rehabilitate.
The intelligence officers were reported to have told Eyal, “Hamas is strong on the ground, no one threatens it, and the organization is not willing to give up control of Gaza.”
Recently, some reports on social media have claimed an encroachment of anti-Hamas militias in parts of Gaza. However, there appears to be little evidence of these militias operating outside of Israeli-controlled areas.
For its part, Hamas continues to resist calls for disarmament, and has begun attempts to formulate a new ceasefire outline, with support from Turkey and Egypt.
Saudi channel Al-Hadath reported that a Hamas delegation is expected to arrive in Cairo on Tuesday to discuss a revised outline for implementing the 14-point Gaza Peace Plan put forward by U.S. President Donald Trump in October.
Hamas continues to insist that it will only turn over its weapons to a Palestinian military, as part of a unity government for a Palestinian state.
Meanwhile, the IDF has begun preparations for a possible resumption of hostilities, including reinforcing guard positions within the Yellow Line, while informing the U.S. of its assessment.
Washington currently prefers to move forward with the peace process started in 2025, despite Hamas’ refusal to disarm, and has vetoed the idea of a resumption of ground operations in Gaza. Instead, Washington has remained quiet as the IDF has expanded control over additional territory in the Gaza Strip.
At the same time, Israel continues targeting senior Hamas military officials in the Strip, despite the ceasefire agreement. Last week, the IDF killed Ismail Masri, who was described as a “senior figure” in Hamas’s Rafah Brigade and the chief of “military security.”
“During the war, Masri coordinated the fields of security and counterintelligence in the Rafah Brigade and engaged in attempts to rehabilitate and strengthen military security, to harm our forces,” the IDF said.
🔴ELIMINATED: Mansour Sami Mahmoud Shahtout, Commander of Hamas’ Naval Police in the Central Camps, alongside 2 additional Hamas commanders.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 28, 2026
Shahtout and the 2 terrorists operated in recent times to advance terror attacks against IDF troops, and were eliminated while traveling… pic.twitter.com/qHqoYcZtS8
On Sunday, the IDF announced it had killed three other Hamas commanders in the organization’s naval police unit.
The IDF said the three commanders were killed while traveling armed in a vehicle.
J. Micah Hancock is a current Master’s student at the Hebrew University, pursuing a degree in Jewish History. Previously, he studied Biblical studies and journalism in his B.A. in the United States. He joined All Israel News as a reporter in 2022, and currently lives near Jerusalem with his wife and children.
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