
After Israeli troops stood down when a cease-fire came into effect in the Gaza Strip, Hamas began sending thousands of its forces onto the streets to establish control.
The deployment-envisioned by the agreement that pauses the fighting while the combatants exchange hostages for prisoners-highlights how the U.S.-designated terrorist group remains the territory's dominant power. Israel hasn't been able to destroy the group or empower an alternative.
Hamas punctuated its authority Sunday by parading armed and uniformed militants through the streets flashing V-signs to cheering crowds. The open show of force after months of being pushed underground was a signal that aid groups and governments will need to cooperate with Hamas as reconstruction efforts get under way.
"It highlights that Israel's goals for the war were never achievable," said former Israeli hostage negotiator Gershon Baskin, now Middle East director for the diplomacy advocacy group International Communities Organization.
The truce pauses a war that has reduced much of Gaza to rubble and killed around 47,000 people in the enclave following Hamas's Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which killed about 1,200 people and left another 250 held hostage.
This story is from the January 21, 2025 edition of The Wall Street Journal.
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This story is from the January 21, 2025 edition of The Wall Street Journal.
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