Hamas Is Not Done Fighting
As it has in the past, the group will retrench and rearm.
Since its founding in 1987, Hamas has been a major player in the Middle East conflict. Matthew Levitt, Fromer-Wexler Senior Fellow and Director of the Reinhard Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, notes that the group will likely regroup and rearm.
Levitt, author of Hamas: Politics, Charity and Terrorism in the Service of Jihad, warns that the recent U.S.-brokered cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas is only the first phase of a larger process.
The agreement, a 20-point plan, has secured the release of hostages held by Hamas for over two years and brought an end to a devastating war in Gaza.
However, the second phase of the plan will confront a set of thorny issues, including the disarmament of Hamas and the future of Palestinian governance.
The first phase of the U.S.-brokered cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas is a tremendous achievement.
Author summary: Hamas will retrench and rearm after the cease-fire agreement.
- Release of hostages held by Hamas
- End to the war in Gaza
- Disarmament of Hamas
- Future of Palestinian governance