Tom O'Connor
The fate of Hamas now hangs in the balance as Israel threatens to resume its war in the Gaza Strip with the full support of the United States and both nations begin drawing up postwar plans to exclude the group from power.
But even amid a conflict that has already brought historic upheaval to the Middle East, observers fiercely debate over whether the deep-rooted Islamist group that emerged four decades ago and came to dominate the Palestinian armed struggle can be decisively defeated. Most agree that a moment of truth is approaching.
"I think we're getting close to this moment where there will be a last stand and a decisive battle," Amir Avivi, reserve brigadier general in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and chair of the Israel Defense and Security Forum in Tel Aviv, told Newsweek.
Avivi acknowledged that, even after suffering sweeping casualties among its ranks, nearly 20,000 by the IDF's estimates, along with the loss of its core leadership, Hamas has managed to recruit thousands more and is looking to regroup amid a ceasefire reached about a month ago.
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