Hamas reportedly launches major recruitment drive, adopts guerrilla tactics amid ongoing conflict in Gaza

According to a Saudi media report published on Sunday, Hamas has begun a large-scale recruitment drive in the Gaza Strip and has transitioned to guerrilla warfare tactics in response to significant losses and dwindling resources in its conflict with Israel.

The Saudi-owned Al-Hadath news network, citing anonymous sources, reported that Hamas’ military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, is in the process of recruiting up to 30,000 new fighters.

This effort is reportedly part of a shift toward a new military strategy focused on guerrilla warfare, since most of the recruits lack formal training in conventional combat.

The sources also highlighted that Hamas has suffered significant losses to its arsenal, particularly drones and long-range rockets.

Israeli officials reported that “the stoppage of humanitarian aid about a month ago led to damage to Hamas’ governance in the Strip, price increases, and pressure on Hamas from the citizens." Additionally, Hamas has not been able to pay its members full salaries due to the cessation of aid entering the Strip and Israel's successful air campaign against the terrorist group.

The shift in Hamas' recruitment strategy comes amid ongoing intense clashes throughout the Gaza Strip, following the breakdown of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas on March 18. The dissolution of the agreement brought more protests against the Israeli government as hostage families continue to fear for the lives of their loved ones.

On Sunday, Palestinian sources reported that an Israeli artillery strike killed one person in the Al-Mawasi area, northwest of Rafah in southern Gaza. Meanwhile, Qatar-based Al Jazeera reported gunfire exchanges between Hamas militants and Israeli forces in the eastern part of the Tuffah neighborhood, located east of Gaza City.

The night before, heavy Israeli airstrikes were reported in Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza and Khan Younis in the south. According to the Israeli military, soldiers from the Givati Brigade, operating alongside the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit and under the command of the 143rd Division, dismantled a booby-trapped underground tunnel stretching several hundred meters under Rafah’s Shaboura neighborhood.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also reported the discovery and destruction of various weapons, including a tunnel shaft filled with explosives.

According to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry, 44 people were killed and 145 were injured over the past 24 hours. Since the ceasefire broke down in March, the ministry reports a total of 1,827 fatalities and 4,828 injuries.

Overall, since the conflict began on Oct. 7, 2023, the ministry says the death toll in Gaza has climbed to 51,201, with 116,869 people wounded.

Despite launching a new recruitment drive, Hamas is reportedly grappling with a deep financial crisis. A Wall Street Journal report published on Thursday said the group has been unable to pay its fighters since fighting resumed. The report attributes this financial strain to a combination of targeted Israeli airstrikes and a halt in humanitarian aid, assistance that Hamas has frequently diverted and sold for profit, according to Arab, Israeli, and Western sources,

According to Ynet News, later that same day, Hamas turned down an Israeli offer for a partial hostage agreement. In an official statement, the group declared, “We will not accept partial agreements that Netanyahu and his government use as political cover to continue the war.”

Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas leader involved in the negotiations, stated that the group is ready to immediately engage in talks for a comprehensive deal to release of all hostages in return for an agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners.