Haaretz: Hamas Rebuilding Battalions in North Gaza

By Staff, Agencies

The “Israeli” Haaretz daily reported that Hamas attempts to rebuild its fighting battalions in the northern Gaza Strip, which the army had declared as stripped of military capabilities, with some battalions significantly restored.

According to the “Israeli” daily, the army has been downsizing its reserve forces in the northern Gaza Strip in recent weeks, and in the past few days has begun pulling back regular-duty forces, including parts of the “Golani” Brigade, armored brigades and special units.

Division 162 remains in the northern Gaza Strip to secure the large area which, when the army’s ground invasion began, was the territory of several of Hamas' battalions, including the a-Shati, Shujaiyeh and Jabalya battalions.

Since the army has reduced its forces in the a-Shati refugee camp and in Gaza city in recent weeks, Hamas has been working to rebuild its battalions to strengthen its combat capabilities against “Israeli” army in the northern Gaza Strip.

According to “Israeli” security sources, “Hamas started appointing new commanders in place of those killed in the fighting, and is trying to assemble operatives who belonged to different battalions.”

“Israeli” Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi warned political leadership behind closed doors that the army was facing the “erosion of the achievements it has accomplished so far in the war” because no strategy was put in place for the Gaza Strip after the end of the war.

Halevi warned that “we may have to operate again in areas where we have already completed the fighting.”

A senior “Israeli” security official who recently presented the army’s view on the extent of the harm to Hamas said that “withdrawing the forces and ending the fighting now will enable Hamas to rehabilitate its military arm in a way that will continue to threaten the army and ‘Israel’s’ Gaza border communities.”