Hamas is taking advantage of the ceasefire agreement to strengthen itself

The Hamas terrorist group is gaining strength following the implementation of the ceasefire agreement with Israel in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, according to Dr. Michael Milstein, a prominent Israeli analyst and director of the Palestine Studies Forum at the Moshe Dayan Center.

Speaking to the Israeli newspaper Davar, Milstein argued that despite the heavy toll inflicted during the war—sparked by the brutal massacre on October 7—where the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) eliminated around 17,000 terrorists, with thousands more wounded or arrested, Hamas has managed to maintain its grip on power. From the Palestinian perspective, the terrorist group perceives itself as "winning the war" and is even expanding its ambitions beyond Gaza to include control over the West Bank, currently governed by the Palestinian Authority under President Mahmoud Abbas.

"Gazans see the war as an accomplishment"

"Where we see destruction, they see victory," said the Israeli analyst, who also served as adviser on Palestinian affairs to the Coordinator of Government Activities in the West Bank and Gaza (COGAT) between 2015 and 2018 and as head of the Palestinian front in the IDF's Directorate of Military Intelligence.

Milstein stated that, despite the destruction and loss of life caused by the war, Palestinians do not view the events of October 7 as a mistake. He added that, from the perspective of the Palestinian leadership, the massacre is considered a successful attack, especially as Israel is now releasing terrorists imprisoned within the Jewish state.

"Gazans consider the war a success; for them it was worth it," Milstein explained. For them, he added, the fact that the terrorist group was able "to maintain power in the Gaza Strip after 471 days is an incredible achievement. It is the first time in 20 years that the Hamas government has faced a real test and succeeded in overcoming it."

Gazans "are willing to sacrifice everything to kill Jews"

When asked whether there are Palestinians in Gaza who desire peace, he replied, "There may be some, but their voices are barely heard. We don’t see protests against Hamas, nor do we see attempts to resist them. We must understand that most Gaza residents were born under Hamas rule." He further explained, "They were educated under Hamas ideology and are prepared to sacrifice everything to kill Jews."

The analyst also said that he hopes that Israel understands this and that "we have learned something from this whole thing."

What will happen after the war?

Regarding the post-war scenario, Milstein expressed skepticism about the possibility of power being transferred to the Palestinian Authority in Gaza.

In this regard, he said, "Hamas may accept the creation of committees of one kind or another to receive reconstruction funds, but it will not give up its weapons and with them the street."

Regarding these committees, he claimed that "they will only be for show. In practice, who controls Gaza and who will control Gaza is Hamas."

Hamas uses the ceasefire to reinforce itself

Regarding the ceasefire agreement, Milstein stated that it benefits Hamas by allowing them to "rebuild their military strength, appoint new commanders, reorganize their forces, and rehabilitate their terrorist infrastructure." He emphasized that Hamas will act quickly to achieve these objectives and will immediately prepare for the possibility of breaking the ceasefire, aiming to maintain control of the situation and dictate its duration.

The analyst also shared his thoughts on what Israel should do during the ceasefire. "It is essential to sit down methodically and develop a realistic plan for both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, without fantasies or illusions," he stated. "There will be no Palestinian spring to replace the government for us. The Palestinian Authority cannot even govern Jenin, so it certainly will not be able to govern Gaza."

Israel must "carry out a process of denazification" in Gaza

"Israel needs to be much more aggressive. Do we want to carry out a denazification process? That requires a total occupation of the territory and even its possible destruction. In Europe, denazification was only carried out after razing the cities of Japan and Germany to the ground and bringing those countries to total surrender. It can't be done any other way," the analyst said.

"Occupation means that Israel will take responsibility for the population and not move it from one place to another constantly. There will be a very high cost, but there is no easy solution here," Milstein concluded.