How might Hamas fight the Israeli military?
Gaza is one of the most densely populated places on Earth and Israel would face tough urban warfare in a showdown with Hamas fighters who know their way around the maze of streets and back roads. That might explain why the Israelis have yet to enter Gaza City. Hamas is believed to command at least 25,000 trained fighters with a variety of small arms and anti-armour missiles. Israel does not detail its deployments, but Defence Minister Ehud Barak has said in the past that two or three divisions – more than 20,000 troops – would be needed for a Gaza sweep. Hamas may be waging psychological warfare in parallel to open combat, mindful of Israelis’ emotional attachment to their conscript army. What has happened to Hamas’s leaders? Several military and political leaders have been killed in Israeli air strikes, but most of the upper echelon went to ground early in the offensive. Hamas says its command network remains intact and that its leaders do not fear “martyrdom.” Is a truce still possib
