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January 22, 2025 | 08:48 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Hamas officials oversee the clearance of rubble from neighborhoods leveled by 15 months of continuous Israeli strikes. Hamas' presence sends a clear message that the group remains in charge of the territory.
Israeli officials have described a parade of jubilant Hamas fighters that celebrated the ceasefire on Sunday, January 19, in front of cheering crowds as a carefully orchestrated attempt to exaggerate the Palestinian resistance group's strength.
But, in the days since the ceasefire took effect, Gaza's Hamas-run administration has moved quickly to reimpose security, curb looting, and start restoring basic services to parts of the enclave, swathes of which have been reduced to wasteland by the Israeli offensive.
Reuters spoke to more than a dozen residents, officials, regional diplomats, and security experts who said that, despite Israel's vow to destroy it, Hamas remains deeply entrenched in Gaza and its hold on power represents a challenge for Israel to implement a permanent ceasefire.
Hamas not only controls Gaza's security forces, but its administrators run ministries and government agencies, paying salaries for employees and coordinating with international NGOs.
Earlier, shortly after the Gaza ceasefire deal took effect on Sunday, January 19, a large number of Hamas fighters showed up in Gaza City during the handover of three Israeli women held captive in the enclave.
The scene came as a shock for Israel, which has vowed to destroy the resistance group during its 15-month genocidal war that has killed nearly 47,000 people, mostly women and children, and injured over 110,700 others since Oct. 7, 2023.
“Even after 15 months of war, Hamas remains in place. Although the government of Benjamin Netanyahu said it will eradicate Hamas, the group not only survived militarily but also retained its rule intact,” Israeli analyst Avi Issacharoff wrote in Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.
REUTERS | ANADOLU
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