Reports: Three years after the war, Hamas tries to preserve its influence in Gaza and shift to indirect rule

⏱️ Timeline

1. 10 Oct 2026, 12:00 An analysis carried by Hebrew channel i24 argues that Hamas in 2026 is no longer what it was on the eve of October 7, as three years of war severely damaged its leadership, structures, tunnel network, weapons capabilities and security apparatuses. It concludes that the movement seeks not "strengthening" but "adaptation", and that it has announced readiness to transfer civil responsibility to a Palestinian technocratic committee while retaining indirect effective control through security and bureaucracy.
2. 10 Oct 2026, 12:00 A report addresses Hamas's strategy in the Gaza Strip three years after the war: the movement seeks to move from a "we are the government" model to a "there is a government and we are the political and social force" model, and to preserve its influence "from the base to the top" by integrating its members into ministries, security apparatuses and local authorities under the leadership of Ali al-Amoudi. The report notes the movement views the technocratic committee as an opportunity, not a threat.
3. 10 Oct 2026, 12:00 A report examines the semi-governmental structure Hamas built in Gaza over about two decades, including ministries, local bodies, an education system, health and social services, police, an economy, taxes and a bureaucracy, with tens of thousands of employees and about 50,000 public-sector employees in Gaza, among them Palestinian Authority employees and employees of bodies Hamas created. The report notes the election of Khalil al-Hayya as the movement's leader in July 2026, defeating Khaled Meshaal.
4. 10 Oct 2026, 21:33 A report by the Hebrew newspaper Israel Hayom says that three years after the October 7 attack, Hamas seeks to preserve its battalions in Rafah and northern Gaza as reserve forces, hoping to return to its areas of operation when the Israeli army withdraws, and that it buried parts of rockets and weapons east of the "Yellow Line". Israel currently controls 63% of the Strip's areas, weakening the movement's military performance and limiting its resource mobilization.

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