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Hamas has Reportedly Recruited up to 15,000 New Terrorists Since Oct. 7
Palestinian fighters from the armed wing of Hamas take part in a military parade to mark the anniversary of the 2014 war with Israel, near the border in the central Gaza Strip, July 19, 2023. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa
i24 News – Hamas has allegedly recruited between 10,000 and 15,000 new members since the war against Israel began, according to US congressional sources citing intelligence reports.
This recruitment drive is viewed as a strategy to compensate for the group’s heavy losses, despite the ongoing devastation in Gaza.
The reported recruitment figures align closely with the estimated number of Hamas fighters killed during the conflict. Israeli assessments suggest that approximately 20,000 Hamas operatives have been neutralized since hostilities began.
“Each time Israel concludes its military operations and pulls back, Hamas fighters reorganize and resurface because there is nothing else to fill the void,” remarked former Secretary of State Antony Blinken on January 14. Hamas spokesperson Abu Ubaida had previously confirmed in July that the group had recruited “thousands” of new members.
However, American intelligence sources note that many of these recruits are young, poorly trained, and primarily tasked with basic security duties rather than front-line combat. By October 7, 2023, official US data estimated Hamas’s fighting force at 20,000 to 25,000 members.
Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon downplayed the threat posed by these new recruits: “Even if they recruit young people, they don’t have the weapons or training facilities to turn them into effective fighters. Yes, they can incite hatred against Israel, but without equipment or training, they can’t mount a significant threat.”
While Israeli military operations have severely disrupted Hamas’s command structure, including the elimination of key military leaders, the group remains active.
In his resignation speech, Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi acknowledged Hamas’s resilience, stating that although the organization has suffered significant damage, it has not been eradicated.
Halevi assured that the IDF remains committed to continuing operations against Hamas to ensure Israel’s security.
The post Hamas has Reportedly Recruited up to 15,000 New Terrorists Since Oct. 7 first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Kurdish-led SDF Say Five Members Killed During Attack by Islamic State in Syria
Islamic State slogans painted along the walls of the tunnel was used by Islamic State militants as an underground training camp in the hillside overlooking Mosul, Iraq, March 4, 2017. Photo: via Reuters Connect.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said on Sunday that five of its members had been killed during an attack by Islamic State militants on a checkpoint in eastern Syria’s Deir el-Zor on July 31.
The SDF was the main fighting force allied to the United States in Syria during fighting that defeated Islamic State in 2019 after the group declared a caliphate across swathes of Syria and Iraq.
The Islamic State has been trying to stage a comeback in the Middle East, the West and Asia. Deir el-Zor city was captured by Islamic State in 2014, but the Syrian army retook it in 2017.
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Armed Groups Attack Security Force Personnel in Syria’s Sweida, Killing One, State TV Reports
People ride a motorcycle past a burned-out military vehicle, following deadly clashes between Druze fighters, Sunni Bedouin tribes, and government forces, in Syria’s predominantly Druze city of Sweida, Syria, July 25, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi
Armed groups attacked personnel from Syria’s internal security forces in Sweida, killing one member and wounding others, and fired shells at several villages in the violence-hit southern province, state-run Ekhbariya TV reported on Sunday.
The report cited a security source as saying the armed groups had violated the ceasefire agreed in the predominantly Druze region, where factional bloodshed killed hundreds of people last month.
Violence in Sweida erupted on July 13 between tribal fighters and Druze factions. Government forces were sent to quell the fighting, but the bloodshed worsened, and Israel carried out strikes on Syrian troops in the name of the Druze.
The Druze are a minority offshoot of Islam with followers in Syria, Lebanon and Israel. Sweida province is predominantly Druze but is also home to Sunni tribes, and the communities have had long-standing tensions over land and other resources.
A US-brokered truce ended the fighting, which had raged in Sweida city and surrounding towns for nearly a week. Syria said it would investigate the clashes, setting up a committee to investigate the attacks.
The Sweida bloodshed last month was a major test for interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, after a wave of sectarian violence in March that killed hundreds of Alawite citizens in the coastal region.
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Netanyahu Urges Red Cross to Aid Gaza Hostages
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference, in Jerusalem, May 21, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/Pool
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he spoke with the International Red Cross’s regional head, Julien Lerisson, and requested his involvement in providing food and medical care to hostages held in Gaza.