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- Hamas doesn’t want war with Israel, intelligence officials say
Hamas doesn’t want war with Israel, intelligence officials say
Officials say most Gazans oppose escalation partly due to the sense that Gaza 'already paid a price' last year
The Gaza Strip’s governing body Hamas is not prepared for war with Israel, nor is it likely to respond to violent clashes in Jerusalem, an Israeli military intelligence assessment found.
Israeli defense officials said they don’t expect the current unrest between Palestinians and Israeli authorities at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound to escalate into a wider conflict involving militant groups in Gaza.
They added though, that Israel is nonetheless preparing for a potential flare-up that “could come at any moment,” Haaretz reported.
Israeli officials claimed that armed groups in Gaza – still recovering from last year’s war with Israel – are facing public and economic pressure to avoid another conflict breaking out.
According to the Israeli evaluation, Hamas’ military wing is not fully recuperated from last May’s rocket warfare and is under the impression that further cross-border clashes could leave it weaker.
The assessment went further to suggest that most Gazans oppose escalation, partly due to a sense that Gaza “already paid a price” last year, Haaretz reported.
Hamas’ leader Yahya Sinwar – who nearly lost his leadership role last year – is also taking credit for major infrastructure projects in the Palestinian enclave. A war would threaten any progress that Gaza’s economy has made, Israeli officials said.
Despite the relatively optimistic speculation, the military officials said the situation on the ground could easily shift, as clashes at the Israel-Gaza border or in Jerusalem could change both Israeli and Palestinian approaches.