Hamas is teetering on the brink of collapse, shaken by the loss of governance in the Gaza Strip, growing isolation in Judea and Samaria, and mounting pressure from regional governments, particularly in Lebanon. A geopolitical power vacuum is emerging, while a cautious shift is unfolding in the Arab world: some governments, like Beirut’s, are setting clearer boundaries against Palestinian militancy and terrorism, while others are noticeably hesitant, signaling a waning willingness to politically or logistically support Hamas’s armed wing. The international community is increasingly wary of Hamas’s tactics of exploiting humanitarian aid and using hostages as political leverage. Hamas is at its lowest point, with even Gaza’s population grumbling. Will Hamas truly capitulate and release Israel’s 58 remaining hostages?
The Arabic daily Asharq Al-Awsat reported yesterday that “Hamas is currently in one of the worst crises in its history—possibly the worst since its founding in 1987.” Sources within the organization stated that Israel’s massive response to the October 7 attack and the heavy toll on Gaza have plunged Hamas into a comprehensive systemic crisis: economic, administrative, political, and internal.
Local sources in Gaza report that Hamas cannot pay its employees’ salaries. In the past four months, civil administration staff received only one payment—around 900 shekels—sparking significant public discontent. Budgets for ministries and services are nearly frozen, and many emergency committees have ceased functioning. Even Hamas’s military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, has not paid fighters for at least three months and cannot procure equipment.
Families of the killed, injured, or missing, traditionally supported by Hamas, are receiving no aid. Sources describe a complete power vacuum within Hamas’s governance structures. Attempts to reorganize local authorities in Gaza are systematically thwarted by targeted Israeli strikes. Beyond a severely weakened military leadership—especially in the north and south—Hamas barely functions as a governing entity.
Palestinians on a street in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on May 28, 2025. Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90.
Yet, Israel fears Hamas will not relinquish all its bargaining chips, meaning it won’t release all hostages. “Hamas won’t return all the abducted at once. It will play games, always keeping some hostages,” a senior Israeli army officer told security expert Yossi Yehoshua yesterday. “What forces Hamas to decide is Israel’s military pressure—and this has so far brought back all other Israeli hostages.”
Unlike past years, when Hamas enjoyed broad public support or at least intimidating control over critics, public anger is now unprecedented. Palestinians are not only verbally but sometimes physically attacking Hamas terrorists—a phenomenon unseen since the group’s 2007 Gaza takeover.
In the biblical heartland of Judea and Samaria, Israeli security sources say Hamas is in severe crisis. Extensive arrests by Israeli forces and the Palestinian Authority have dismantled armed terror cells, dried up funding, and caused operational paralysis. Public fear grows that Israel might replicate its Gaza military model in areas like Jenin and Tulkarem, further distancing the population from Hamas.
In Lebanon, where Hamas operated relatively freely, its influence has waned since November’s ceasefire. The new Lebanese government seeks to curb armed Palestinian terror groups, sending clear signals to Hamas that terrorist operations from Lebanese soil will no longer be tolerated.
Trucks and humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip at the Kerem Shalom crossing on the Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip, May 29, 2025. Photo: Flash90.
Meanwhile, Gaza’s humanitarian crisis worsens. A planned US aid shipment, set to begin today, was postponed for logistical reasons on the US contractor’s side. Aid distribution continues as before, amid fears that Hamas will seize the supplies. These fears were confirmed by reports that Hamas terrorists halted aid convoys at the Kerem Shalom crossing two nights ago, looting their cargo and leaving one truck to stage a filmed mass panic. Palestinian sources say most trucks were plundered around Khan Yunis.
These actions align with Hamas’s recent propaganda campaign to pressure Israel internationally to end the fighting—without meeting Israel’s key demand: hostage release. The campaign includes accusing Israel of systematically starving Gaza’s population while armed Hamas members violently steal aid.
Internal Hamas sources suggest the organization could rebuild post-conflict, but the process would be long, arduous, and dependent on uncertain political and regional factors. Israel must decisively destroy Hamas—not only to neutralize it but to show all enemies that attacking Israel is futile. Amid this, Israel must tactically and wisely secure the release of its captive siblings.
