Why does Israel allow Hamas to reconstitute?

This week, the IDF announced that it had completed another raid on the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza. According to the IDF Spokesman, the hospital served as a “center for Hamas activities in the city.” This is not the first time the IDF has operated at the hospital. At the beginning of the war, the IDF arrested the hospital’s director, Ahmed al-Kahlout, who admitted during interrogation that he was recruited by Hamas nearly 15 years ago and held a rank equivalent to Brigadier General in the organization. He also revealed that the hospital housed offices for senior Hamas political and military officials, cells for holding hostages, and had its ambulances converted for use by Hamas military operatives.

Kamal Adwan Hospital, located at the edge of Jabalia and Beit Lahia, like the Indonesian Hospital – also in Jabalia, was repaired in recent months by several “aid organizations.” A few months ago, we exposed that at the beginning of the war, extensive Hamas activity was discovered at the nearby Indonesian Hospital. The findings there including the discovery of vehicles used in the Oct. 7th attack, vehicles with blood stains from Israeli hostages, and underground infrastructure. The hospital was later renovated by at “aid organization,” Taalouf Al-Khair.

A HaKol HaYehudi investigation uncovered that Taalouf Al-Khair is a Jordanian organization whose members explicitly supported Hamas and have called for war against Israel. The organization also deals with bringing “humanitarian aid” into Gaza.

 HaKol HaYehudi’s inquired about whether the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) approved the work by the aid organization, but COGAT has refused to respond. The IDF also carried out a second operation at the Indonesian Hospital after it was repaired. Thus, “aid organizations” belonging to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood’s overall network abroad have repaired medical centers in Gaza that then were used to support Hamas’ military efforts.

HaKol HaYehudi’s investigation revealed that Kamal Adwan Hospital, which served as a “center for Hamas activities in the city,” was recently repaired by an organization from Kuwait through a local affiliate in Gaza. The ‘Jamiat Tamniah Al-Khairiya’ organization from Kuwait published calls at the beginning of the war to support Gaza in its fight against Israel. In pictures from inside the hospital, a large image of the Temple Mount can be seen in the executive offices.

This latest operation represents the third time the IDF has operated in Jabalia, considered a  stronghold of Hamas’ military wing. The IDF first operated in the neighborhood about two weeks after the Oct. 7th massacre (October 26th to January 6th) towards the beginning of the war. Prior to the ceasefire and initial hostage release, the IDF operated mainly on the outskirts of Jabalia, and only after the ceasefire ended on December 1st, did activity in Jabalia resume. The IDF raided positions in the neighborhood and on December 16th even raided Kamal Adwan Hospital, which served as a Hamas base. Three days later, the IDF claimed it had “achieved operational control of Jabalia,” and two weeks later it announced that “the dismantling of Hamas’s military framework in northern Gaza was completed.”

In fact, according to estimates, tens of thousands of residents remained in Jabalia and did not evacuate despite IDF calls. These remaining residents served as human shields for Hamas, and limited IDF activity in the area to raids rather than a more thorough clearing of the area. According to the IDF Spokesman, in the first round of fighting in the neighborhood, Hamas’s underground network was hardly damaged.

About 4 months later, the IDF launched another operation in Jabalia (May 11th-31st) where the bodies of seven hostages murdered on Simchat Torah were uncovered. Hamas terrorists fired dozens of anti-tank missiles at the IDF soldiers who arrived this second time, revealing that the terrorists had managed to reorganize. According to the IDF spokesman, the IDF also operated in the Jabalia refugee camp and the Jabalia market, from which  Hamas clerics preached. According to a publication by Amir Bohbot, in the second round, the IDF estimated that there was one Hamas battalion in Jabalia, but discovered during the fighting that Hamas actually had about 3 battalions in the city. On May 28th, the IDF announced that Hamas’s military frameworks had been dismantled, and the remaining terrorists in Jabalia were fighting as individuals or in small teams, without a command and control structure. According to the IDF spokesman, during that second round of fighting, 600 terrorists were eliminated and about 12 km of tunnels were destroyed.

About 3 weeks ago, the IDF announced additional activity that began on the eve of the Sukkot holiday, potentially as part of the so-called ‘Generals’ Plan’, which proposes to empty northern Gaza of residents allowing the IDF to operate more aggressively against remaining Hamas terrorists. This latest operation was accompanied by a declaration to evacuate the population, and for the first time, Jabalia was largely emptied of its remaining residents who are largely Hamas-supporters. The remaining residents had been staying in shelters and hospitals renovated by the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated aid organizations, and were serving as human shields for Hamas military operatives in the hospitals.

During the operation, multiple IDF soldiers were killed, including Armored Brigade Commander Ehsan Daqsa, as Hamas had yet again managed to reconstitute in Jabalia. The remaining question is will Jabalia finally be held and controlled this time, or will this operation again prove to be a raid after which Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated aid organizations are allowed to help Hamas reconstitute?