Hamas is trying to show during the hostage exchanges the control it exerts over the Gaza Strip despite the pummeling it has received from the IDF in the almost year and a half that has elapsed since the October 7 attack that started the war.
The hostage releases have now become normalized. When they began on January 19, it was not clear how Hamas would organize the handovers.
The first exchange in this round in which hostages Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher were released was done in an open lot behind some destroyed buildings. There was a crowd of hundreds who pushed around the Red Cross vehicles. Hamas appeared to try to showcase that it was in control, but the first exchange was not well organized by the terrorist organization.
The next hostages released have been much more choreographed. For Hamas, the release of the female soldiers Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, and Liri Albag was a major production. They set up a stage and made it seem like an important official ceremony. They handed out bags with certificates and had the Red Cross come up on stage with the hostages.
Agam Berger was the fifth of this group of IDF women taken hostage on October 7. She was released several days after the others in a separate ceremony Hamas conducted in Jabalya in northern Gaza.
Showcasing various aspects of Gaza
Hamas has shifted during the hostage releases to try to showcase various aspects of Gaza. It has held the events in different areas, such as Jabalya and Khan Yunis, to demonstrate its increasing control as it returns to areas in the Gaza Strip.
This is important for Hamas because when the ceasefire began, Hamas mostly controlled central Gaza but had much less control of the northern and southern sections.What is clear is that Hamas is using the period of the first phase of the ceasefire, around 40 days, to rebuild itself. It is distributing weapons and uniforms to its members. Some of these are commanders, but many are likely new recruits, brought in during the war to replace losses.Hamas is also showcasing its work with other groups in Gaza, such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The overall goal for Hamas is to present itself as in control and able to project power again.This is important not just to show Israel, but also to show Gazans. Hamas wants Gazans to know that it has the manpower and weaponry to reassert itself in Gaza.Hamas is aware that Israel may want to return to fighting in Gaza after the first phase of hostage releases. It also knows that the Trump administration has floated the idea of Gazans leaving the territory during a period of reconstruction.Hamas doesn’t want this to happen and is using the hostage exchanges to show that it can handle things in Gaza. Of some particular interest, Hamas is not seeking to showcase all the destruction and challenges it will face ruling Gaza. It wants to present a unified front and a sense of victory without mentioning the road ahead.
Hamas is also slowly admitting some of its losses over the last 15 months of fighting. However, the group is seeking to cover the faces of those involved in the hostage releases. It is also choreographing every aspect to try to show some of the rifles it captured on October 7.
However, it doesn’t have much to show off. The group has mostly armed gunmen, but it has lost much of its arsenal. That is why it has to showcase its overall strength in numbers during these hostage exchanges, to make up for the fact that it doesn’t have the arsenal it had on October 6, 2023.