A group of Israeli Knesset members claimed that Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad have now returned to their pre-October 7 strength, suggesting the brutal Gaza war has done little to reduce their numbers.
National Unity MK Gadi Eisenkot – a retired general and former IDF chief of staff – spearheaded a letter by opposition lawmakers discussing the number of fighters in Palestinian armed groups. “In recent days, we have been informed that the military strength of Hamas and Islamic Jihad has been restored, such that Hamas has over 25,000 and Islamic Jihad has over 5,000 armed terrorists,” a statement from the group explained.
The lawmakers slammed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for failing to secure Israel and demanded that he appear before the committee for a debate. They added, “In the past month, the Israeli government has not fulfilled its responsibility as the supreme commander of the IDF, and is not advancing the war goals of returning the kidnapped and destroying Hamas’ military and governmental power.”
The estimate matches one produced by US officials at the end of the Joe Biden Presidency. In January, then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US assessed that “Hamas has recruited almost as many new militants as it has lost. That is a recipe for an enduring insurgency and perpetual war.”
Netanyahu has said the elimination of Hamas is one of Israel’s primary goals in its Gaza onslaught. Over the past 17 months, Israel has killed tens of thousands of civilians and destroyed much of the Strip, but appears no closer to that objective.
Fighting between the IDF and Hamas has largely ground to a halt in recent weeks thanks to a hostage exchange and successful ceasefire talks. However, repeated Israeli violations of the agreement have pushed the truce to the brink of collapse.
