Israeli security assessment: Hamas retains most of its military strength despite war

The armed wing of Hamas still has around 25,000 fighters despite more than two years of war in the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli security assessments reported by Israel’s public broadcaster Kan on Wednesday. The report said the Israeli security establishment estimates that about 2,500 of those fighters belong to Hamas’s elite, Nukhba, unit. Before the war began, Hamas’s armed wing was estimated to have around 35,000 fighters, including about 5,000 members of the elite unit, according to the report. The Israeli assessment therefore suggests that the group has retained a large part of its military strength. The report also said Israeli security agencies have recently observed an increase in what they described as executions carried out by Hamas against […]