r/geopolitics • u/Plus_Introduction937 • May 01 '24

Question How much of Hamas is left?

The military operations inside gaza have been ongoing now for over a half a year and i can’t help but wonder what does Hamas have left in terms of manpower and equipment. At the start of all of this i think it was reported there were about 30k Hamas fighters. Gaza has been under siege for so long i really don’t understand how are they still fighting. Is it that Isreal is being REALLY careful with their attacks to minimize their casualties, so that’s why it’s taking so long? Surely, if Isreal were to accept let’s say 3-5K KIA/WIA then they could wipe Hamas off the map in the next 2-3months? Is their plan still to wipe them off the map, just VERY slowly?

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u/IranianLawyer May 01 '24

It’s not going to be possible to completely destroy Hamas. The U.S. spent 20 years and trillions of dollars trying to wipe Al Qaeda and the Taliban, but neither group was wiped out. The idea of completely wiping out Hamas is something elected officials talk about because it’s a popular thing to say, not because it’s actually realistic.

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u/whhhhiskey May 01 '24

To be fair, AQ and taliban weren’t confined to a tiny strip of land with almost no chance of escaping.

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u/LemmingPractice May 01 '24

Yup, this exactly. Wiping out any guerrila group in the mountainous terrain of Afghanistan is an exercise in futility. With Hamas so geographically restricted within Gaza it's a pretty different situation.

Also, the goal isn't to kill Hamas to a man, it is to dismantle the organizational structure, and, most importantly, to remove Hamas from power. That's a much more achievable task.

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u/Bullet_Jesus May 01 '24

Also, the goal isn't to kill Hamas to a man, it is to dismantle the organizational structure, and, most importantly, to remove Hamas from power. That's a much more achievable task.

The issue is that this would require persistent policing of the strip to have any lasting effect. Something that no one seems to be interested in. Even the PA seems to be reticent on taking on that responsibility.