The ceasefire agreement with Israel comes at a time when Hamas is extremely weak

Hamas may claim victory after a ceasefire with Israel announced on Wednesday, but the 15-month-old war has left the militant group severely weakened.

The Israeli bombing and invasion of Gaza, which began weeks after deadly attacks by Hamas on October 7, 2023, destroyed 21 battalions that formed the main unit of the movement’s military wing, the Qassam Brigades, according to military analysts.

The total number of Hamas fighters killed was not clear. In September, an Israeli army spokesman estimated the number at more than 17,000 soldiers, including a number of senior commanders.

Analysts say Hamas’s ability to launch sustained and coordinated operations has been greatly reduced. Israel destroyed large quantities of Hamas’ military equipment and disabled many of the tunnels it was using to transport and store materials.

Israel also seized a strip of territory along Gaza’s southern border in May, depriving Hamas of a channel to transport military supplies and personnel into the Strip from Egypt.

Hamas has lost many of its senior leaders. The Israeli occupation forces killed the leader of the military wing of Hamas, Muhammad Dhaifin july; Another supreme leader, Ismail HaniyehLater that month; And group leader Yahya Al-Sanwarin October. Sinwar had emerged after two decades in Israeli prisons to help plan the October 7 attack.

“Israel operated on the ground for 15 months with tremendous force and was able to destroy much of what Hamas had there,” said Ahron Bregman, a former Israeli military officer who is now a political scientist and expert on Middle East security issues at King’s College. London.

But he added that Hamas may still have reason to congratulate itself. He added: “Israel turned Gaza into dust, but Hamas is still steadfast and has not raised the white flag.”

The Iranian-backed regional proxy network that helped keep Hamas going has also been destroyed.

Israel intensified its attack on the Lebanese Hezbollah militia beginning in September, relentlessly targeting the group’s personnel and infrastructure through airstrikes and killing its leader Hassan Nasrallah in September. In that month, Hundreds of Hezbollah members’ pagers explodedAs a result, many members of the group were killed or maimed – in addition to civilians.

Days later, Israel launched an invasion of southern Lebanon. The invasion ended with a ceasefire in November, under which Hezbollah agreed to stop its missile and drone attacks on Israel, which it began in solidarity with Hamas.

Last month, rebels ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who was a key component of Iran’s so-called axis of resistance, eliminating Tehran’s main channel for transferring weapons to Hezbollah.