According to the report, which cites data from the Critical Threats Project (CTP) and the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), as of July 1, only three Qassam battalions have been destroyed by Israeli forces. Al-Qassam Brigades is the military wing of the Palestinian Hamas resistance movement.
The Israeli military has consistently claimed significant successes against Hamas, saying that the majority of the Qassam Brigades’ military capabilities have been degraded.
In March, the Israeli army claimed that 20 of the 24 battalions had been “dismantled,” and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed in a recent speech to the US Congress that “victory is in sight.”
However, the latest findings suggest that resistance fighters have effectively utilized their resources and managed to rebuild many of their operational capabilities.
“If the Hamas battalions were largely destroyed [as Israel claims], Israeli forces wouldn’t still be fighting,” retired US Army Colonel Peter Mansoor told CNN.
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