As IDF degrades Hamas’ military capabilities, signs emerge of Gazans joining fight against the terror group

Videos on social media appear to show Palestinian clans fighting against Hamas

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The IDF is continuing its operations in the Gaza Strip, particularly in Rafah, as it aims to defeat the military capabilities of Hamas.

“We are definitely approaching the point where we can say we dismantled the Rafah Brigade," stated IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi on Monday evening.

"It is defeated not in the sense that it has no more terrorists, but in the sense that it does not know how to function as a combat system.”

After this determination has been made, the IDF is expected to shift from large-scale brigade operations, to smaller targeted raids based on intelligence sources.

When this transition happens, the IDF is expected to begin partnering with local Palestinian clans and clan leaders, called mukhtars.

National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi recently referred to the IDF’s new strategy on Tuesday, during an address at the Herzliya Conference at Reichman University.

“The minute Hamas’s ability to operate its military and civil systems like it could on October 7 is taken away, there will be more ability for countries that want to see a governing alternative to Hamas in Gaza, with local leadership in Gaza, to join this process.” Hanegbi explained, adding: “It’s starting to take form now.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu alluded to this scenario in his recent interview with Channel 14’s “Patriots” program. During the interview, Netanyahu mentioned how the IDF initially tried to work with some clan leaders in Gaza as an alternative government to Hamas.

At the time, Hamas was too powerful, and they killed the leaders who cooperated with the IDF.

"The IDF came to me five months ago and suggested, ‘Let’s take clans and give it [administration] to them.’ I said, ‘Okay.’ We took the clans, and it didn’t take a long time and Hamas eliminated them.”

Now, evidence from Gaza appears to show that the clans are beginning to feel more confident to take on Hamas.

According to posts on social media by Palestinian sources on Monday, Hamas killed the mukhtar of Abu ‘Amro clan in Gaza for collaborating with Israel. Shortly afterward, videos posted on Palestinian social media showed groups of people confronting individuals alleged to be the Hamas terrorists responsible for the killing.

The videos, reportedly filmed in Khan Younis, allegedly show exchanges of fire between other members of the Abu ‘Amro clan and Hamas terrorists. The footage shows Gazans with rifles and burned-out vehicles purportedly belonging to Hamas.

Meanwhile, a source in the Southern Command of the IDF told the Maariv Hebrew news site that “individuals in Gaza have started trying to intervene in Hamas's [rocket] firing attempts. This marks a local rebellion by the population against Hamas. It is in our interest that similar interventions happen again in the future.”

On Wednesday morning, Hebrew news media reported that the IDF could potentially announce the defeat of the Hamas Rafah Brigade within the next few days.

Such a move would allow the IDF to change strategy in Gaza, as well as move combat forces to the northern front, where the conflict with Hezbollah is expected to intensify soon.