Israel's goal was to destroy Hamas, but as Elizabeth Palmer reports, 15 months of war in Gaza is having the opposite effect on recruitment efforts.

The United States has joined Israel in striking nuclear targets in Iran. It follows an escalating broader conflict in the region including the ongoing Gaza war.

Iran Strikes

Israel's ongoing military efforts in Gaza, aimed at eradicating Hamas, have paradoxically resulted in an increase in recruitment for the organization. Many individuals, like a young man who requested to be called Rami, have been left devastated by Israeli airstrikes. Rami recounted the loss of his immediate family and expressed his determination to join Hamas, despite having no prior experience with weapons and a previously peaceful career aspiration.

The war, which began with a Hamas attack on Israel resulting in over a thousand deaths, has persisted amidst continual Israeli bombardments. Rather than quelling Hamas, such actions appear to fuel retaliation and empowerment for the organization. The public spectacle of Hamas handing over Israeli hostages is seen as a demonstration of strength, which potentially aids their recruitment efforts.

Experts like retired Israeli Defense Forces General Israel Ziv suggest that the cycle of violence and despair in Gaza could continue to produce new fighters ready to join Hamas out of desperation and anger. Ziv cautions that without offering viable alternatives to the youth in Gaza, the conflict's cycle is unlikely to be broken, and predicts further escalations in the future.



War in Gaza drawing new recruits to Hamas

Israel's assault on Gaza killed thousands of Hamas fighters, but it also created a whole generation of new ones. I have nothing left. Today, I am prepared to join Hamas, and not just be one of them, but be one of the best. He asked that we call him Rami. He's 22, and told us an Israeli airstrike killed both his parents and two siblings, and that he has never held a gun in his life. I worked at a restaurant. My ambition was to be a talented chef, to earn a good salary. But then the war came, and it wiped out everything. Hamas terrorists started the war on October 7, 2023, when they attacked Israel and murdered more than 1,000 people. Fifteen months of relentless Israeli bombing hasn't wiped them out. Their handover last Saturday of four Israeli hostages was a spectacle to project power and draw new recruits. Joining Hamas is revenge for what I went through, for no reason, and for no crime I committed. Israel Ziv is a retired general with the Israeli Defense Forces. They can recruit thousands of people. It's not even a question. And definitely there is enough hatred there for young people to join the Hamas. Did the IDF know going in that they were going to create a new generation of Hamas fighters who were motivated by real rage? It's inevitable. Immediately you create the next generation with the hatred. Hatred rooted in despair. The prospects in Gaza couldn't be bleaker. Virtually no jobs, no homes, and no future. So it's key that Israel offers Gazans an alternative. Absolutely. If Israel will not push for an alternative, I think it's only a matter of time until the Hamas, which is already there, it never left, will rebuild itself and, you know, the next October 7th is only a question of time.

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