ALBAWABA - As the Israeli army fights what it calls Hamas's "final stronghold" in Gaza City, reports say that it is now up against a new, younger group of fighters that Israeli officials call Hamas's new army. These militants, who have been through a lot of war and personal loss, are surprisingly strong and could put President Donald Trump's proposed peace plan for Gaza at risk.
The Telegraph says that these new recruits are more extreme and unwilling to change than the ones who came before them. Most of them grew up in places where things were broken, and they lost family members during Israel's past attacks. They think of themselves as defenders of Gaza instead of survivors, which has made them even more determined to keep fighting even though they have lost a lot.
The Fight for Tel al-Hawa
A lot of this "new army" is based in the southern Gaza neighborhood of Tel al-Hawa, where there are still fierce street battles going on. Hamas fighters hide in the ruins of apartment buildings and dark hallways to attack Israeli troops.
The Israeli army controls most of the area, but it has a hard time keeping full control. Israeli troops are still suffering from sniper fire from damaged buildings and RPG attacks from streets full of rubble.
A high-ranking Israeli officer said, "We destroyed most of their battalions before, but they got new commanders and younger men to join." He also said that these fighters are not as tactically disciplined as the ones who came before them, but "they are still very brave and organized."
Israeli intelligence says that the new generation of Hamas fighters, which is less than 3,000 strong, is not very advanced but is very motivated. They change quickly, find weak spots in Israeli advances, and hit quickly.
They are hard to predict because they are young, eager, and know the city well. An Israeli military source said, "They still fight as a system, watching us, learning, and punishing our mistakes."
The civilian crisis gets worse.
More than half a million civilians are still stuck in the battle zone, which is one of Gaza's most densely populated areas. Israel Katz, the Israeli Defense Minister, recently said that anyone who stayed would be treated like a "terrorist." This made international organizations very angry.
Philippe Lazzarini, the UNRWA Commissioner-General, spoke out against the statement, saying it was a sign of "a possible massacre of innocent civilians."
A Challenge to Trump's Plan for Peace
As the war goes on, experts say that Hamas's new army could hurt Trump's plan for a ceasefire, which needs both sides to lower their military presence. Instead, the fact that younger, more radicalized fighters are still fighting suggests that the movement is growing rather than falling apart, which is bad news for any future peace effort.
The Israeli army says victory is near, but the fact that this new generation has grown up in rubble, siege, and loss means that the next phase of the war may be even harder than the last.
