NEW YORK, January 13. /TASS/. The radical Palestinian group Hamas has recruited thousands of new members in recent months, significantly intensifying the threat to Israel's military, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported, citing sources.
Small militant groups conduct sporadic attacks, employing firearms and anti-tank weapons that require minimal military training, the WSJ said. Hamas has pledged to support its followers and their families with sustenance and healthcare, the newspaper's sources stated.
"Hamas is rebuilding its capabilities faster than the Israel Defense Forces can dismantle them. [The leader of the Gaza-based faction] Mohammed Sinwar oversees everything," Amir Avivi, a former Israeli brigadier general, told the WSJ.
Sinwar advocates for a lasting ceasefire in the Gaza Strip instead of short-term truces, the newspaper highlighted. "Hamas is now able to set its own conditions. It will persist in its efforts unless a comprehensive resolution is reached to alleviate the suffering of all Gaza residents," Sinwar wrote in a letter to his supporters in late 2024.
Efforts in 2024 to negotiate the release of Hamas-held captives have repeatedly failed. The parties could not renew the November 2023 deal, under which 105 hostages were freed following a one-week truce. Israel estimates that 98 hostages abducted on October 7, 2023, remain in Gaza. Over the past 14 months, the Israeli military has rescued 8 captives and recovered the remains of 40 individuals killed.
On January 3, Hamas announced the initiation of new negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire in Doha. On January 12, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office informed TASS that an Israeli delegation had also arrived in Qatar to engage in the discussions.