According to senior Israeli security officials, the organization is clinging to its hold on Gaza at any cost—even rejecting recent ceasefire and hostage deal proposals made by U.S. envoy Steven Wiktkoff.
Hamas condemned the U.S. veto of a June 4 UN Security Council ceasefire resolution and has dismissed negotiation efforts, seeing them as a cover for Israel's campaign to dismantle its rule—backed, in its view, by full American support.
Israeli intelligence assessments indicate that Hamas is encouraged by its continued ability to operate militarily and inflict casualties on Israeli forces. It has fortified large parts of Gaza with explosives, slowing the IDF’s advance.
However, beneath this surface, Hamas’s leadership is in chaos.