Israel Matzav: 'Hamas losing control of Gaza'

'Hamas losing control of Gaza'

According to a letter sent by the head of Hamas' 'military wing' Ahmed Jabri to Hamas politburo chief Khaled Meshaal, which has now been reported both by a Fatah web site and by the London-based pan-Arabic daily Asharq al-Awswat, Hamas is losing control of the Gaza Strip.

The letter was reportedly written in light of a series of assassinations and explosions near the offices of senior Izaddin a-Kassam commanders and of Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniyeh. No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

According to the report, Ja’abri wrote Mahsa’al that “several worrisome explosions recently occurred in Gaza, security anarchy is extensive, and al-Kassam men are being killed.”

Ja’abri also reportedly admits that Hamas has made a number of serious mistakes in ruling the strip.

The paper quoted Palestinian sources as saying that Hamas operatives who oppose Haniyeh were behind the attacks. Others suggested that the explosions were carried out by fundamentalist Islamic jihad groups.

You can bet on this much: If Israel were letting building materials into the Strip, this would not be happening. But because Hamas has been unable to fulfill any promises to help its people rebuild since Operation Cast Lead, Hamas' position has been weakened, and it is now finding it more difficult to control the Strip.

This is not going to make Gaza pro-Israel. If anything, the result of Hamas losing control is likely to be mass chaos with tribal groups fighting for control. But that also means that the next time Israel has to undertake an Operation Cast Lead, the opposition will be much less organized and coordinated.

Would Israel restore Fatah to control Gaza? I'm not sure it matters. Fatah isn't capable of the job.

Israel Matzav: 'Hamas losing control of Gaza'