Hamas security officer says that the group has lost control of most Gaza

A senior security forces officer in Hamas BBC told the Palestinian Armed Group had lost about 80 % of its control over the Gaza Strip and that the armed tribes fill the void.

First Lieutenant Colonel said that the Hamas leadership and control system had collapsed due to months of Israeli strikes that destroyed the group’s political, military and security leadership.

The officer was injured in the first week of the war, which began after the Hamas -led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and since then he has moved away from his duties for health reasons.

Several audio messages with the BBC shared, provided that his identity is not disclosed.

In the messages, the officer drew a picture of the internal disintegration of Homas and the semi -combat security collapse throughout Gaza, which the group governs in front of the conflict.

“Let’s be real here – there is hardly anything left of the security structure. Most driving, about 95 %, have died now … all the active numbers have been killed,” he said. “Really, what prevents Israel from continuing this war?”

“From a logical point of view, it must continue until the end. All circumstances are aligned: Israel has the upper hand, the world is silent, the Arab regimes are silent, criminal gangs everywhere, and society is collapsing.”

Last September, the Minister of Defense in Israel announced that “Hamas as a military formation no longer exists” and that he was working in guerrilla warfare.

According to the officer, Hamas attempted to reassemble its ranks during the 57 -day ceasefire with Israel earlier this year, as it reorganized political, military and security councils.

But since Israel ended the armistice in March, the remaining leadership structures in Hamas targeted, leaving the group in chaos.

“About the security situation, let me be clear: it has collapsed completely. He went completely. There is no control anywhere,” he said.

“People have looted the most powerful Hamas security apparatus (ANSAR), the complex used by Hamas to rule Gaza.

“They looted everything, offices – the ranks, and even zinc boards – and no one interfered. No police, no security.”

The officer said that the result of the security vacuum was gangs or armed clans “everywhere.”

“They can stop you, kill you. No one will interfere. Anyone who tried to act alone, like organizing resistance against thieves, bombed Israel within half an hour.

“So, the security situation is zero. Hamas control is zero. There is no leadership, no matter, no connection. Salaries are delayed, and when they arrive, they are barely used. Some people die only trying to collect them. It’s a complete collapse.”

On June 26, At least 18 people were killed when an Israeli drone strike targeted a clear Hamas police unit Witnesses and seians said that the attempt to confirm the market control in Deir Pala, accusing the sellers of proteins and selling looted aid.

The Israeli army said it struck many “armed terrorists” belonging to the internal security forces of Hamas.

In this void, six armed groups of strong local clans emerged as serious competitors to fill the void, according to the officer.

These groups can reach money, weapons and men, and are active throughout Gaza, but mostly in the south.

One of them is led by Yasser Abu Shabab, a figure who attracted attention from the Palestinian Authority, which is based in the occupied West Bank and is a competition for Hamas, as well as regional players – especially after Israel confirmed last month that it was providing him with weapons.

The officer confirmed that Hamas put a great reward at the head of Abu Shabab, for fear that he would become a unified figure for her many enemies.

“The enthusiasm of the ordinary thieves will ignore. People are hungry and (fighters) does not want to raise more chaos. But this man? If Hamas fighters find him, they may chase him instead of Israeli tanks.”

BBC sources in Gaza said that Abu Shabab was working to coordinate with other armed groups to form a joint council aimed at overthrowing enthusiastically.

A retired Palestinian security official, who was part of the force taken in Hamas’s military wing in 1996 after a wave of bombings in Israel, said that the Abu Shabab network was gaining power.

The official who lives in Cairo now said: “The Abu Shabab Group is similar to the orphan child who will want everyone to adopt if he succeeds in undermining the rule of Hamas,” said the official who is now living in Cairo.

“In public, all parties deny the ties with the armed groups in Gaza. But Abu Shabab met a senior Palestinian intelligence officer three times and sent messages to confirm the Egyptians through relatives in the Sinai,” he claimed.

He also said that Abu Shabab “maintains good relations with the Mohammed Dallan camp.” Dalan is a former security chief in Gaza, who has lived in exile since he fell with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas 15 years ago.

Hamas security officer warned that the group “is ready to do anything” to eliminate Abu Shabab not because of his current military power, but for fear that it would become a symbol around which all the opponents of Hamas gather.

“For 17 years, Hamas made enemies everywhere. If a person like Abu Shabab can mobilize those forces, that may be the beginning of the end for us.”

Since Gaza is further collapsing in chaos, as the entire neighborhoods descend to gangs, Hamas finds themselves not only under Israeli fire but is increasingly surrounded by competitors from the inside.