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Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/15/world/middleeast/hamas-weakened-israel-ceasefire.html
Ceasefire Deal with Israel Comes as Hamas Is Severely Weakened
(New York Times) Matthew Mpoke Bigg - Hamas may claim victory after a ceasefire with Israel that was announced on Wednesday, but 15 months of war have left it severely weakened. Israel's bombardment and invasion of Gaza after the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas have decimated 21 battalions of its Qassam Brigades. In September, the Israeli military said more than 17,000 Hamas fighters had been killed, including a number of senior commanders. Israeli forces killed the commander of Hamas's military wing, Muhammad Deif, in July; another top leader, Ismail Haniyeh, later that month; and the group's leader, Yahya Sinwar, in October. Ahron Bregman, a former Israeli military officer and expert in Middle East security issues at King's College London, said, "Israel has turned Gaza into dust, but Hamas is still standing and they have not raised the white flag." The Iran-backed regional proxy network that has helped sustain Hamas has also been decimated.