Hamas leadership operating behind veil of secrecy

After Israel killed a drawstring of its leaders, Hamas anointed caller commanders to apical ranks, this clip shrouding their identities successful secrecy to support them from assassination.

Israel vowed to crush Hamas successful retaliation for the October 7 attack, launching a blistering violative successful Gaza that has massively weakened the question portion reducing overmuch of the territory to rubble.

Hamas's governmental main Ismail Haniyeh, the caput of its equipped helping Mohammed Deif, and Yahya Sinwar, mastermind of the October 7 attack, person each been killed, arsenic person a drawstring of different commanders and governmental figures.

Yet dissimilar its Lebanese state Hezbollah, whose cult of property astir its slain person Hassan Nasrallah was a cardinal pillar of its identity, Hamas has placed little of an accent connected its apical ranks.

The radical has remained tight-lipped implicit the names of its apical ranks, peculiarly the Ezzedine al-Qassam brigades.

"The sanction of the caput of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades volition stay a secret," said a root adjacent to Hamas's equipped wing.

Researchers accidental it is apt that the relation was inherited by Yahya Sinwar's younger member Mohammed, whom Hamas enactment successful complaint of the hostages taken into Gaza successful 2023.

"Yahya Sinwar's property was alternatively unique" and militants viewed him arsenic a "hero", said Laetitia Bucaille, who teaches governmental sociology astatine the INALCO institute of Middle East studies successful Paris.

Mohammed Sinwar's humor nexus to the slain commander, coupled with his ain acquisition successful the brigades, person conferred upon him an automatic authority, she said.

- Collective enactment -

Israel vowed aft October 7 to eradicate Hamas, and portion the question has suffered staggering losses, it has not been crushed.

According to Yasser Abu Heen, laminitis of the Gaza-based Safa quality agency, the nonaccomplishment of truthful galore of its leaders has impacted Hamas, "but lone temporarily".

"These hits bash not airs an existential crisis, Hamas has its ain mode of moving its institutions," helium said. "Israel volition not beryllium capable to eradicate it."

Speaking to AFP connected information of anonymity, a subordinate of Hamas's governmental bureau described however it acts arsenic the movement's enforcement arm, voting connected decisions and past taking action.

Political bureau rank is decided by the larger Shura Council, the equivalent of a parliament, helium added.

"We volition not cognize the caller leaders' names. There's a propulsion to support their identities secret, and to support a corporate consciousness of power," said Leila Seurat of the Arab Centre for Research and Political Studies successful Paris.

"This isn't a question based connected a charismatic leadership."

While Hamas has survived frankincense far, it has yet to marque the toughest determination of each concerning its aboriginal relation successful Gaza and successful the Palestinian conflict for statehood.

Reduced nether regular bombardment, Hamas faces demands not conscionable from Israel but from powers astir the satellite and adjacent from immoderate Palestinians to springiness up power.

- Dissent -

The Palestinian Authority, whose decades of corruption contributed to Hamas's ascent, has pitched itself arsenic a credible ruling entity for the battered territory.

Within Hamas, discussions are raging connected whether to manus implicit power.

According to sources cited by the Soufan Center successful New York: "The interior statement has intensified to the constituent wherever immoderate Hamas governmental leaders person considered breaking with the group's subject leaders successful Gaza."

Hamas is nary alien to division, with Seurat pointing to crises successful the past implicit a scope of issues from the Arab Spring to the movement's confederation with Iran.

But the warfare with Israel has brought to a caput vexation among mean Gazans sick of a struggle that has killed galore thousands and reduced their territory to rubble.

Musa Abu Marzouk, a starring Hamas fig progressive successful talks implicit the ceasefire with Israel, told The New York Times successful precocious February that arsenic acold arsenic helium was concerned, "if it was expected that what happened would happen, determination wouldn't person been October 7".

In March, hundreds of radical took to the streets of Gaza, chanting "Out, out, Hamas out!", aft a uncommon telephone to protestation circulated via Telegram.

"Some Palestinians privation Hamas to go. Some person ever been opposed, portion others are conscionable fed up," said Seurat.

Pressure unsocial volition not work, however, due to the fact that Hamas has nary viable competitor, and the radical of Gaza simply bash not person the means to basal up to it.

"They are inactive successful control," said Bucaille. "While Hamas has been weakened, nary 1 tin basal up to it for now."

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