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The Jerusalem Post has said that "since 2005 disengagement from the Gaza Strip, Hamas has built up a formidable military numbering 20,000 armed men, many of whom have been trained in Iran and Lebanon", a report by an Israeli think tank revealed on Thursday. Entitled "Hamas's Military Buildup in the Gaza Strip", the report - compiled by the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center - detailed the structure of the Hamas military force in Gaza, naming commanders of its various brigades and the type of weapons it has succeeded in smuggling into Gaza through the Sinai. According to the think tank that has close ties with the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), which provides most of the information in the report, Hamas's military buildup is currently at its peak although its completion will take another few years.Hamas's military capabilities are based on the Izzedin al-Kassam Brigades - the group's military wing responsible for the terror attacks against Israel.In the event of a large-scale Israeli invasion of Gaza, the report claims that Hamas would refrain from fighting against the IDF in open areas but would instead channel the fighting into more densely-populated areas.
"Hizbullah's success in providing an asymmetric response to the IDF's might during the second Lebanon war made it a role model for Hamas," the report states. "The lessons of the second Lebanon war also illustrated the importance of having a strong military force which could stand fast and survive to protect Hamas's control of the Gaza Strip, like the military force Hizbullah established in south Lebanon."
The commander of the al-Kassam Brigades, which numbers 10,000 operatives, is Ahmed Ja'abri, who took over following the assassination attempt on Mohammed Deif in July 2006 that left the supreme Hamas commander seriously injured.
In addition to the brigades, Hamas also controls the Executive Force which numbers another 10,000 operatives. There are also another 3-4 thousand operatives who belong to other terror groups - Islamic Jihad, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine etc. - and these would also likely join Hamas's fight against the IDF in the event of an Israeli invasion.
According to the report, the northern Gaza brigade is commanded by Ahmed Ghandour; two brigades in Gaza City are commanded by Ja'abari; the central Gaza brigade is commanded by Ayman Nawfal who is currently in prison in Egypt and two brigades in southern Gaza - one in Khan Yunis and one in Rafah - are respectively commanded by Muhammad Sinwar and Ra'ed al-Atar.
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