"15,000–20,000 Hamas Fighters Still Hiding Underground"

Israeli military analyst Zvika Yehezkeli warned in a Facebook post that Hamas still has between 15,000 and 20,000 fighters hidden in Gaza’s tunnels, despite months of heavy Israeli operations.

His comments followed Wednesday’s attempted infiltration in Khan Younis, where Hamas terrorists emerged from multiple tunnel shafts and attacked a temporary outpost manned by the Nachshon Battalion of the IDF’s Kfir Brigade.

“The attempted raid in Khan Younis reflects today’s reality,” Yehezkeli wrote. “Beneath the surface, Hamas still has thousands of fighters waiting underground, rearming themselves through smuggling from Egypt. Their ideology is simple: attrition, patience, and using hostages as bargaining chips.”

According to Yehezkeli, Hamas continues to receive weapons through the Philadelphi Corridor, using underground channels to sustain its war effort. He stressed that Israel’s stated war goal, eliminating Hamas, can only be achieved “if its members either surrender or are eliminated. Any other outcome leaves Hamas intact, as we see now.”

The raid itself highlighted Hamas’s ongoing capabilities: the attackers fired a large number of anti-tank missiles and heavy machine guns, advancing in a coordinated assault aimed at killing or capturing soldiers. IDF forces engaged in close-quarters combat, killing at least ten and wounding more, though one Israeli soldier was seriously injured and two others lightly hurt.

Israeli officials believe Hamas still retains a core of skilled fighters in Khan Younis who are adapting their guerrilla tactics to exploit weaknesses in the field.