Hamas, Defying Trump, Eyes Keeping Control of Gaza

An old real estate adage, possession is nine-tenths of the law, is just as true in Gaza as anywhere else. As Phase 2 of President Trump’s peace plan is taking shape slowly, Hamas quickly reasserts authority in areas under its control. In international conferences, all the rage is reconstruction, economic opportunities, and a peaceful governance structure. At Gaza City and other areas outside of Israel’s control, though, the old rulers are regaining their footing. The plan’s second phase was launched this week after the body of the last hostage, Ran Gvili, was buried in Israel. A group of Palestinian “technocrats” that would temporarily govern Gaza, is already staffed and ready to take charge. Except the true rulers of Gaza have other plans. According to a Hamas Arabic-language document, unearthed by Israel’s public broadcaster, Kan, the terrorists will keep ruling Gaza in defiance of the peace plan. The document “outlines an operational framework in which the technocratic government appears to function, while the actual management of systems, the flow of information, and control over the civil administration remain in Hamas’s hands,” Kan writes. Hamas officials are told to avoid public confrontation with those who according to the peace plan would rule Gaza. Yet, they are also instructed to avoid any interaction with the “technocrats.” The terrorists clearly believe they can defy Mr. Trump and renege on their obligations under last year’s cease-fire terms. Do they have a point? The cease-fire left them in control of half of Gaza. Even more importantly, a crucial part of the plan, depriving Hamas of its weapons, is yet to be realized. So far no country has volunteered troops for an international stabilization force tasked with disarming Hamas. And the terrorists say they plan to obtain new arms. “Our priority has always been stopping the war and protecting civilians, not negotiating away weapons,” a senior Hamas official, Mousa Abu Marzook, told Al Jazeera last week. Once again, humanitarian aid provides cover for rearming. “New documentation reveals Hamas’s systematic use of ambulances, hospitals, and schools for terrorist purposes,” Israel’s ambassador at the United Nations, Danny Danon, wrote on Wednesday. The Gaza cease-fire, meanwhile, is far from it. On Wednesday a sniper fired at troops stationed behind the Gaza “yellow line,” where the Israel Defense Force remains according to the agreement of last October. In the skirmish that ensued, IDF troops killed a Hamas leader who commanded the invasion of kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023. Two dozen Gazans, including civilians, were also killed, leading to an anti-Israel international outcry.Much was accomplished in the war. For the first time since 2014 there are no Israeli hostages in Gaza. Top Hamas commanders are dead or captured. Tunnels are destroyed. Declaring victory, though, is premature. As long as armed Hamas men control a large chunk of Gaza, grand post-war plans seem unrealistic. They remind us of a quip from a great philosopher, the pugilist Mike Tyson: “Everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the mouth.”

Hamas, Defying Trump, Eyes Keeping Control of Gaza

More from the New York Sun

Can America End Tehran’s Nuclear Aspirations Without Boots on the Ground?

CBS News Reporter Who Denounced MAGA ‘Lies’ About 2020 Election Quits Over Network’s Balanced January 6 Coverage: Report

Democrats To Introduce Legislation Explicitly Banning Prediction Markets Related to War and Death

More from the New York Sun

Can America End Tehran’s Nuclear Aspirations Without Boots on the Ground?

CBS News Reporter Who Denounced MAGA ‘Lies’ About 2020 Election Quits Over Network’s Balanced January 6 Coverage: Report

Democrats To Introduce Legislation Explicitly Banning Prediction Markets Related to War and Death

‘CNN Is Not a Serious Organization’: Embattled Network Denounced for Sympathetic Coverage of ISIS Terror Suspects

‘Say Nothing’: Gerry Adams, Alleged IRA Commander, Dons Bulletproof Vest, Denies Ordering Bombings That Shook Britain

Apple News Makes Tiny Increase in Conservative Publications Featured on Top Stories List After Pressure from Trump Administration

American Missiles Pulled From South Korea To Buttress Campaign Against Iran

Extracting Enchantment From the Austen and Brontë Production Industries