The Hamas terrorist organization is capitalizing on the Israeli-American war with Iran to restore its power in areas of the Gaza Strip not controlled by the IDF.
According to Gaza residents cited by Kan News, "Hamas is taking advantage of the war and the fact that Israel is busy with Iran. Its operatives were deployed before the war as well, but we didn't expect that their numbers and presence on the street would reach such levels. Gaza's main Salah a-Din road is full of Hamas men."
The report also cited residents who said that Hamas is using its newfound freedom to scare off the opposition. In one instance mentioned in the report, Hamas terrorists arrived at the tent of a dessenter where they beat him, shot at him, and arrested him.
According to the report, Hamas has also restored its activities to extort the residents financially, with Gazans reporting a rise in taxes and that goods have been seized and transferred to those affiliated with the organization. According to the residents, "the organization uses that money to rearm. It doesn't go to the police or the municipal institutions, but mainly the senior officials and the military wing."
Gazans have largely given up on the hope for alternative leadership by the technocratic committee as outlined in President Donald Trump's plan. "Hamas will not give up control of the Gaza Strip. They are ready to control anything, even if you give them a single tent, a school, or a hospital; they'll find a way to control it and extract money from it," the residents told Kan News.