The thousands of Hamas terrorists who took to the streets of Gaza at the outset of the recent ceasefire with Israel was an overt show of force to prove they’re still in control and will be a force to be dealt with when talks begin about the future of the Gaza Strip, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.

Israel’s military estimated that it has killed about 17,000 Hamas terrorists of the 30,000 that were assembled at the start of the war, including leader Yahya Sinwar; Hamas does not divulge how many fighters it has lost in the 15-month war.

However, Hamas has been replenishing its ranks under Sinwar’s younger brother, Mohammed, according to the Journal, showing that Israel is not close to meeting its goal of eradicating Hamas.

Read more at Newsmax© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.