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“Hamas doesn’t want an escalation, but it will not surrender,” said one Palestinian analyst close to the militant group, which has been weakened by a 15-month war with Israel.
- March 18, 2025, 12:02 p.m. ET
Hours after Israel launched a massive bombing campaign across Gaza on Tuesday, Hamas’s military wing had not mounted a discernible counterattack.
It was by far the deadliest day since a cease-fire in Gaza began about two months ago. The Gaza health ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants, said that more than 400 people had been killed in the aerial bombardment that started before dawn.
But throughout the day, there was a notable absence of rocket fire by Palestinian militants or attempts to ambush Israeli soldiers.
Suhail al-Hindi, a member of Hamas’s political office, reacted to the assault by saying the group hopes to restore the cease-fire but reserves the right to respond.
“How to respond is left to those on the ground,” he said in a telephone interview. “They know and understand how to respond to the occupation.”
There is no question that Israel's 15-month war against Hamas weakened the group that has long ruled Gaza. Israel killed thousands of its fighters and destroyed much of its tunnel network which was used, among other things, to store weaponry. And it undermined Hamas’s ability to fire rockets at Israel.
