There are some conflicting reports coming from the Gaza strip. On one hand, the IDF is still patrolling and discovering additional tunnels, arms caches, and similar items, while killing Hamas terrorists. Some of the tunnels are new. Hamas is still constantly searching for new recruits. Young Palestinians are given minimal training in weapons and explosives before being sent off to die as martyrs to their cause. On the other hand, interviews with aid truck drivers and older residents / refugees tell a story of a movement trying desperately to avoid losing control over the local population. Hamas “enforcers” appear whenever there is a threat to political control. Threats are handled by simply killing anyone deemed to be not politically reliable. In areas where no organized threats exist there is no Hamas presence. The word I heard frequently to describe this is Chaos. Truck drivers report their cargo is often stolen, but not only by Hamas. Aid distribution is no longer done only by Hamas. In order to preserve the environment in which they operate, Hamas tells residents that IDF evacuation orders are actually aimed at sending them to their death. But the death involved is that of the Hamas terrorists who will be deprived of their human shields.
Wetherhorn 