Exclusive – Hamas has added up to 15,000 fighters since the start of the war, US figures show Reuters
Author: Erin Banco
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The Palestinian militant group Hamas has recruited between 10,000 and 15,000 members since the start of its war with Israel, according to two congressional sources familiar with U.S. intelligence, suggesting the Iran-backed fighters could remain a constant threat to Israel.
Intelligence shows a similar number of Hamas fighters were killed in that period, the sources said. The latest official US estimates have not been previously published.
Hamas and Israel began a truce on Sunday after 15 months of conflict that has ravaged the Gaza Strip and set the Middle East on fire.
Intelligence sources, who were included in a series of updates from US intelligence agencies in the final weeks of the Biden administration, said that while Hamas has been successful in recruiting new members, many are young and untrained and are being used for simple security purposes.
The US Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment.
On January 14, then-President Joe Biden’s secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said the United States believed Hamas had recruited nearly as many fighters as it had lost in the Palestinian enclave, warning that this was “a recipe for perpetual insurgency and perpetual war.”
He gave no further details on the estimate, but Israeli figures put the total number of militants killed in Gaza at around 20,000.
“Every time Israel completes its military operations and withdraws, Hamas militants regroup and re-emerge because there is nothing else to fill the void,” Blinken said. Both Israel and the United States call Hamas a terrorist group.
Asked for comment, a Hamas official said he was checking with relevant parties in the group. A spokesman for Hamas’ armed wing, Abu Ubaid, said in July that the group had managed to recruit thousands of new fighters.
In the days since the ceasefire, Hamas has shown that it is deeply entrenched in Gaza despite Israel’s pledge to destroy the militant group. The Hamas-run administration of the territory moved quickly to re-impose security measures and restore basic services in parts of the enclave, much of which was turned into a wasteland by the Israeli offensive.
Since the start of the war, US officials have not said publicly how many fighters Washington believes Hamas has lost, only noting that the group has been significantly degraded and has likely lost thousands.
WARNINGS OF THE CONTINUATION OF THE THREAT
US officials have issued similar warnings since a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, in which 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 taken hostage, according to Israeli figures. More than 46,000 people were killed in the ensuing Israeli attack, according to Palestinian health authorities whose figures do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
At a congressional hearing in March 2024, then-Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said the war in Gaza would have a “generational impact on terrorism” and that the crisis had already “fueled violence by a range of actors around the world”.
Gathering accurate information on Hamas is notoriously difficult because of the lack of verifiable intelligence from Gaza and because the group’s recruiting and training efforts are erratic. But official US figures show that before October 7, 2023, Hamas had between 20,000 and 25,000 fighters.
Asked Wednesday about Blinken’s comments, Israel’s UN ambassador Danny Danon acknowledged Hamas’ recruitment efforts but downplayed the threat.
“We know that Hamas is recruiting young people,” Danon said. “But even if they recruit young people, they don’t have weapons or training facilities. So basically, yes, you can incite these young people against Israel, but they can’t become terrorists, because you can’t equip them with weapons or rockets.”
After the ceasefire, Israeli troops began withdrawing from some of their positions inside Gaza. The second phase of the ceasefire agreement could lead to a permanent cessation of fighting.
The terms of that phase still need to be negotiated.
In his resignation speech on Tuesday, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, Israel’s army chief, said Hamas had been severely damaged and that most of the group’s military commanders had been killed. But he said the group has not been eliminated and that the Israel Defense Forces will continue to fight to further defeat Hamas.
One of the most difficult issues involved in the negotiations on the next stages is the post-war governance of Gaza. Some Israeli officials say they will not accept Hamas remaining in power. Hamas has not relented so far.
President Donald Trump’s newly inaugurated national security adviser, Mike Waltz, said Sunday that Hamas will never rule Gaza and if it withdraws from the deal, Washington will support Israel “in doing what it has to do.”
