An Israeli military official said Tuesday that Hamas retains between 10,000 and 20,000 trained fighters, despite losing roughly 20,000 during the war, according to a report by NBC News. The official added that Israel has destroyed as much as 90 percent of the terrorist group’s rocket arsenal and crippled its ability to rebuild heavy weapons.

“The manufacturing sites and smuggling routes that Israel struck are extremely important,” the official said. “It’s not just taking away the fish — it’s taking away the rod.”

Maj. Gen. (res.) Giora Eiland, a former head of Israel’s National Security Council, told NBC that while Hamas has absorbed heavy losses, the group remains capable of reasserting control in the Gaza Strip. “It is easy for Hamas to regain power and very easy for them to recruit more and more people to replace those who were killed,” Eiland said. “Although they’re younger and have less military experience, there’s no doubt Hamas still has a lot of capability and enough personal weapons like small arms and RPGs.”

Eiland estimated that between 70 and 80 percent of Hamas’s tunnel network in Gaza remains intact, including many tunnels still undiscovered by the Israel Defense Forces.

Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said that following the ceasefire, Israeli forces are focusing operations on dismantling the remaining tunnels as part of efforts to disarm Hamas. In one such operation, Maj. Yaniv Kola and Sgt. Itay Yavetz were killed by Hamas anti-tank fire.

Since the IDF’s partial withdrawal to the so-called “yellow line,” Hamas operatives have begun to reemerge in parts of Gaza, attempting to signal a return to normal life. Israeli intelligence assessments also indicate that Hamas has publicly executed several Palestinians accused of collaborating with Israel.

Meanwhile, Israel’s public broadcaster Kan 11 reported Tuesday that Hamas is quietly participating — with the awareness of Arab mediators — in forming a technocratic government that would administer Gaza once the war ends. According to the report, Hamas handpicked about half of the proposed cabinet members, choosing individuals aligned with its ideology, while the Palestinian Authority selected the remainder under an informal arrangement allowing Hamas to influence the process.

Egyptian mediators reportedly shared the full list of candidates with Hamas before final approval, a move that analysts say could help the group retain indirect control over Gaza even after a new governing framework is in place.

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