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The training program of the Hamas al-Shuja’iya Battalion during a ceasefire with Israel, according to a document brought back from the Gaza Strip

A document brought back from the Gaza Strip by the IDF showed that the Hamas military wing had exploited the January-March 2025 ceasefire to train new operatives in preparation for a possible resumption of the war. It detailed training held between February 17 and March 1, 2025 for 121 new recruits who would then be integrated into the al-Shuja'iya Battalion; According to the document, the training lasted only seven days and its schedule was carefully planned so that the entire process could be completed before the target date set for the end of the ceasefire; Given that the training took place during the ceasefire and the trainees were supposed to be integrated immediately into the al-Shuja'iya Battalion, the program included lessons learned from Operations al-Aqsa Flood, the name Hamas gave to the Gaza Strip War; Prospective operatives acquired field skills and were certified in the use of various weapons, including those used by the Israeli forces, and were trained in defense tactics to counter UAVs, first aid in the field and combat documentation. They were also given lectures with religious content and were required to swear fealty to the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades; Although Hamas was damaged and suffered significant losses during the war, its military wing apparently still operated with an organizational and operational infrastructure that enabled it to function as a terrorist organization in every respect. In Amit Institute assessment, Hamas used tactical pauses not only for regrouping and rest, but as a critical window for accelerated force-building and the insertion of fresh forces immediately upon the renewal of the fighting. Hamas, by virtue of its ability to learn lessons, did not allow its training to stagnate and incorporated updated operational lessons out of necessity to cope with the IDF's tactical advantages in the field. The document revealed that Hamas' training mechanism remained institutionalized, functioning and capable of carrying out complex and multi-branch training under constraints of schedules and security and operational limitations.
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Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (May 12-19, 2026)

IDF forces continued operating within the Yellow Line and in other areas in the Gaza Strip, eliminating terrorists who posed a threat, including those involved in the October 7, 2023 attack and massacre. Izz al-Din al-Haddad, who headed the Hamas military wing and was one of the planners of the October 7 attack, was eliminated in a strike in Gaza City, and reportedly, military intelligence chief Muhammad Oudeh was appointed to replace him; The Board of Peace announced the ceasefire continued despite the "violations," and called Hamas' refusal to disarm the main obstacle to advancing the process and beginning reconstruction of the Strip. Hamas and the other Palestinian terrorist organizations refused to disarm on the grounds that Israel had not met its commitments to the first stage of the agreement and called for the resignation of Mladenov, representative of the Board of Peace; Despite the demand that Hamas transfer governance of the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian technocrat committee, Hamas government ministries continue routine activity to ensure the movement's hold on the territories over which it has control; The Israeli Navy prevented the Global Resilience Flotilla from reaching the Gaza Strip and halted dozens of vessels which had departed from Turkey; Hamas announced that no candidate had won the first round of elections for the movement's leadership, and therefore another round would take place; UNRWA reportedly smuggled its archives from the Gaza Strip headquarters and east Jerusalem to Jordan; The eighth Fatah conference called for continuing "non-violent popular resistance" for the establishment of a Palestinian state which would include Judea and Samaria, the Gaza Strip and have east Jerusalem as its capital. Marwan al-Barghouti, who is serving life sentences in Israel for terrorist crimes, won the vote for the movement's central committee, and the son of the chairman of the Palestinian Authority was also elected. Palestinian elements called for closing ranks and formulating a unified Palestinian strategy to advance a broad political and popular struggle.
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Elimination of Izz al-Din al-Haddad, Head of Hamas’ Military Wing: Reactions and Significance

On May 15, 2026, the Israeli security forces eliminated Izz al-Din al-Haddad in a strike on an apartment in Gaza City. He was head of Hamas' military wing and one of the planners of the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack and massacre, and led Hamas' reconstruction after the ceasefire; Hamas confirmed al-Haddad's death, called him a "great commander" who had been involved in jihad for decades, culminating in the invasion of Israeli territory and the ensuing atrocities. Statements by the movement and its senior figures accused Israel of an assassination and a violation of the ceasefire agreement, claiming that the objective was to exert pressure on Hamas; Al-Haddad, who joined Hamas at the age of 17 with the establishment of the movement, rose through the ranks of the military wing and held a series of command positions. He was appointed commander of the Gaza Brigade in 2021 and commander of the military wing in May 2025; He played a significant role in preparing for the October 7 attack and massacre. In an order given before the beginning of the attack, discovered by IDF forces in the Gaza Strip, he said the primary objective was to take a large number of soldiers captive in the first moments and send them into the Gaza Strip. During the war, he kept Israeli hostages around himself as human shields; In Amit Institute assessment, the elimination of al-Haddad is a blow to Hamas' reconstruction efforts, its continued military buildup and the tightening of its governance in areas under its control in the Gaza Strip after the ceasefire, despite demands that it relinquishes power and disarm. Al-Haddad was one of the last military commanders of Hamas' first generation, and his elimination will require the military wing to adapt itself to younger commanders who will have to make critical decisions regarding the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades' future.
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Spotlight on Iran and the Shiite Axis (May 6—13, 2026)

An editorial in a newspaper affiliated with the Iranian Supreme Leader’s office described the relationship between Iran and Hezbollah as a “long-lasting strategic alliance.” It claimed that Tehran views any threat to Hezbollah as a threat to the regional balance of power, and therefore, its support for the organization is a strategic necessity; The Iranian foreign minister sent a letter of condolence to senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya after his son was killed in an Israeli strike in the Gaza Strip; Qods Force commander visited Baghdad and met with senior figures in the “Coordination Framework” of the pro-Iranian Shiite militias. The visit took place amid ongoing talks to form a new government in Iraq and pressure from the United States on the prime minister-designate to act against the pro-Iranian militias and Iranian influence in the country; The Houthis denied that they had resumed attacks against Israel after the interception of a drone was reported in the Eilat area; The leader of a pro-Iranian militia in Iraq attacked those in Iraq who support American demands for the dismantling of the militias and the surrender of their weapons, clarifying that this is a “red line.”; The leader of the Islamic Resistance Front in Syria announced a new campaign against IDF forces in southern Syria and claimed responsibility for launching rockets toward a post in the Quneitra area. The claims have not been confirmed. 
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Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (May 5 –12, 2026)

IDF forces continued operations within the Yellow Line in the Gaza Strip, destroying terrorist infrastructure and eliminating terrorists who posed a threat, including those involved in the October 7, 2023 attack and massacre. The son of the Khalil al-Hayya, head of Hamas' political bureau in the Gaza Strip, was killed in an attack in Gaza City; Hamas continued to accuse Israel of preventing the transition to the second stage of the ceasefire agreement while refusing to comply with the demand to disarm. Hamas downplayed the importance of Israeli threats to renew the fighting, but said the Palestinians would "defend themselves" if attacked; Reportedly, 5,000 Palestinian policemen will undergo Israeli security screening and deploy under the supervision of the committee for managing the Gaza Strip; There has reportedly been a sharp decline in the flow of international aid to the Gaza Strip since the halt of the war against Iran; Hamas continued strengthening its civilian rule in the Strip, with increased "security" activity against "collaborators" and militias supported by Israel; According to reports, another international flotilla which was supposed to leave Turkey for the Gaza Strip was postponed after a request from the United States because of concern over a violent confrontation; Hamas is preparing to select the new head of the political bureau in a contest between Khalil al-Hayya and Khaled Mashal; The Israeli security forces continued counterterrorism activity in Judea and Samaria. A terrorist was shot and killed after shooting at the forces in the Qalandia refugee camp; there were no casualties; A court in Ramallah overturned the decision of the Palestinian minister of finance to stop payments to a Palestinian prisoner incarcerated in Israel.
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Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (April 28 – May 5, 2026)

IDF forces continued operating within the Yellow Line and eliminated terrorists who posed a threat, among them the head of the operations department in Hamas' military intelligence headquarters who helped orchestrate the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack and massacre; The mediators delivered to Israel and Hamas a 15-part document proposing a phased implementation of the second stage of the ceasefire agreement. It included disarming under the supervision of a national and international committee, a gradual Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and the reconstruction of areas which had been disarmed. Hamas and the other Palestinian terrorist organizations demanded full implementation of the first stage by Israel and the dismantling of militias supported by Israel before moving to the second stage. Gazans called on Hamas to consider the proposal for disarmament lest the war be renewed; Hamas continued to claim damage to the public health system in the Gaza Strip, high levels of unemployment, poverty and almost complete dependence on humanitarian aid. A commander of an Israeli-supported militia claimed that they had taken control of 11% of the areas held by Hamas; The IDF halted more than 20 boats which participated in the Global Resilience Flotilla to the Gaza Strip, and two of the organizers were brought to Israel on suspicion of ties with Hamas. Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed it was "piracy on the high seas" targeting "solidarity activists."; Hamas renewed the election for a new head of the movement's political bureau in a race between Khalil al-Hayya and Khaled Mashaal; Israeli security forces continued counterterrorism activity in Judea and Samaria and located weapons, ready-to-use explosive devices and drones. Two soldiers were stabנed and wounded in the village of Silwad, one terrorist was killed.
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