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Hamas

Spotlight on the Israel-Palestinian Conflict (March 25 – April 1, 2025)

IDF forces operated against targets of Hamas and other terrorist organizations in the northern and central Gaza Strip. In the south, the IDF ordered the evacuation of the city of Rafah. Senior terrorist operatives were eliminated, including a Hamas spokesperson. Six rockets were fired at Israeli communities near the Gaza border; there were no casualties; Efforts continued to renew the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Hamas claimed it would not hesitate to release all the Israeli hostages if it guaranteed the end of the war; Spontaneous popular demonstrations took place in various locations of the Gaza Strip to protest the continuation of the war and to end Hamas rule. According to reports, Hamas security forces threatened and assaulted protestors; The Hamas government in the Gaza Strip admitted that due to the elimination of senior figures it was currently limited to providing only basic services; Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist organizations reportedly agreed that dismantling their military wings in the Gaza Strip was a red line and they would not to discuss it as long as the "Israeli occupation" continued; Israeli security forces continued counterterrorism operations in Judea and Samaria, and exposed a terrorist cell handled by Hamas headquarters in Turkey.
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Demonstrations in the Gaza Strip against Hamas

On March 25, 2025, Gazans held spontaneous popular demonstrations in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip to protest the continuation of the war and Hamas rule, the first major public protest against Hamas since October 7, 2023. In the following two days, additional demonstrations took place in Beit Lahia and in other areas of the Gaza Strip. However, since March 28, 2025, no physical demonstrations have been recorded and the protest has continued mainly on social media. Each demonstration was attended by dozens to hundreds of protesters; Alongside the calls to end the war, in light of the renewal of IDF attacks in the Gaza Strip, the demonstrators accused both Hamas and Israel of responsibility for their suffering and demanded Hamas relinquish control of the Gaza Strip, which it has held since 2007; Hamas initially tried to represent the demonstrations as protesting "Israeli aggression," but also claimed that "parties with suspicious agendas" were leading the protest in the service of Israel. Later, Hamas forces used violence, and according to reports activists who participated in the protest or promoted it on social media received threats from Hamas operatives and were physically attacked, including a protester who was tortured to death; The Palestinian Authority and Fatah denied involvement in the demonstrations but called on Hamas to respond to the Gazans' calls and relinquish control of the Gaza Strip; Most of the reports on the protest appeared in media outlets not affiliated with Hamas and on social media. Hamas media outlets, and those affiliated with it such as Al Jazeera, either did not report on it or claimed it was directed against Israe; In our assessment, the demonstrations express the Gazans' genuine pain, and therefore are spontaneous, without leadership or direction. However, the fear of the Hamas forces, whose use of physical force instills fear among the residents, may prevent an alternative leadership from emerging. After three days the demonstrations waned and ended, but if the fighting and the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip continue without a diplomatic breakthrough, the protest may be renewed and Hamas can be expected to suppress it rapidly. 
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Spotlight on Syria (March 16 –26, 2025)

Armed operatives shot at IDF forces near the village of Koayiah in southern Syria. there were no casualties. The forces responded with artillery and fire from UAVs, killing seven of the attackers. The Islamic Resistance Front in Syria claimed that four of its fighters were killed in the incident. Syria and other countries condemned Israel and called for the withdrawal of IDF forces from Syrian territory; The IDF attacked two Syrian air force bases and destroyed strategic capabilities used by the former regime, including fighter jets; The Syrian army warned that any violation by Hezbollah on the Syria-Lebanon border would be met with a decisive response; A senior representative of the American administration held first meeting with the Syrian foreign minister. The American representative reportedly presented a list of demands in exchange for easing sanctions.
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Spotlight on Iran and the Shiite Axis (March 12—19, 2025)

The Iranian Supreme Leader reiterated Iran’s support for the “resistance” in the region and stressed that there is a consensus among senior Iranian regime figures on the issue; Iran and the Shiite militias strongly condemned the renewal of Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip. The Houthis launched a ballistic missile at Israel, for the first time since the start of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip in January 2025, and threatened escalation if the Israeli attacks continued; Senior Iranian officials expressed dissatisfaction with the recent developments in Syria: The chairman of the Majles National Security Committee declared that the violent incidents in the Syrian coastal area had exposed the true face of Syria’s new rulers, and the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman noted that Israel is the only beneficiary of the clashes that took place on the Syria-Lebanon border; The United States launched a large-scale military offensive against the Houthis in Yemen and threatened to take action against Iran if aid to the Houthis continued. The Houthis announced dozens of deaths and claimed to have carried out at least four attacks against the American aircraft carrier in the Red Sea. Senior Iranian officials strongly condemned the American attacks and denied Iranian involvement in Houthi activity.
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Spotlight on the Israel-Palestinian Conflict (March 11 – 18, 2025)

On March 18, 2025, the IDF attacked Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist operatives and facilities in the Gaza Strip for the first time since the ceasefire went into effect on January 19, 2025. Hamas claimed that more than 400 people were killed, including senior figures in its political bureau, and accused Israel of renewing the "war of extermination" and endangering the lives of the hostages. Hamas claimed they remained committed to continuing negotiations on the second phase of the ceasefire agreement. The spokesman for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s military wing was reportedly killed in an attack on the central Gaza Strip; The Palestinian Authority accused Hamas of engaging in unauthorized contacts with "foreign entities" regarding the future of the Gaza Strip. In response, Hamas demanded that the Palestinian Authority cease security coordination with Israel; Palestinians welcomed the American president's statement that "no one is expelling Palestinians from Gaza."; An Israeli civilian was injured in a shooting near Ariel. Israeli security forces continued their counterterrorism operation in northern Samaria and expanded it to Nablus; Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas visited the king of Jordan and noted the importance of Arab coordination in implementing the Arab-Islamic initiative for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.
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Hamas’ strategy to destroy Israel: from theory into practice, as seen in captured documents

The idea that the very existence of the State of Israel ("the Zionist entity") is illegal and immoral has been ingrained in Hamas' worldview since its founding. However, for Hamas, aware of its military and political limitations, the issue of "the destruction of Israel" remained a vision for the future, while the movement focused on the narrative that "not losing is a victory."; After the Saif al-Quds campaign (Operation Guardian of the Walls) in May 2021, Hamas' approach began to shift, as the movement came to believe that the destruction of Israel had become a goal that could actually be achieved. The change was reflected in a series of public statements by Hamas leaders, although they could have been perceived on the Israeli side (and probably were) as boasts; Hamas documents taken from Gaza during the Gaza Strip War confirm what Hamas officials had publicly stated and indicate that the plan to eliminate the State of Israel had been regarded in recent years, especially after Operation Guardian of the Walls, by the Hamas leadership, especially Yahya al-Sinwar (as well as by its allies, Iran and Hezbollah), as executable and highly feasible in the near future. Those were not just empty words, they were backed by the development of practical plans and ongoing coordination between the elements of the "resistance axis." They felt Israel had become vulnerable while Hamas and other 'resistance' forces had grown stronger. The strategic shift by Hamas was not understood at all by Israel; In ITIC assessment, the severe blow suffered by Hamas and most elements of the "resistance axis" will probably push back the play to destroy Israel, returning it to the level of a vision for the future. In the long run, if Hamas recovers and receives support from Iran, it is not improbable that the movement could once again regard destroying Israel as a practical plan.
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