In the aftermath of the unsuccessful ceasefire, Hamas has expanded its terrorist operations beyond the Middle East. The group is exploiting a long-established network of weapons caches, criminal alliances, and covert infrastructure that has been quietly built across Europe for years.
Earlier this month, West Point’s Combating Terrorism Center released a study detailing how Hamas leaders in Lebanon have directed operatives to establish “foreign operator” cells across Europe, collaborating with organized crime networks to acquire weapons and target Jewish communities abroad.
“Hamas has never carried out a successful terrorist attack outside of Israel, the West Bank, or Gaza — but not for lack of plotting,” Matthew Levitt, a senior fellow and counterterrorism expert at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, wrote in the report, according to Algemeiner. “European and Israeli officials fear that Hamas has taken the decision to go global and carry out plots abroad, marking a significant departure from the group’s prior modus operandi,” he continued.
According to a report by Al Jazeera, the Israeli military said Hamas handed over the body of another deceased captive, as the army’s chief has promised that the war in Gaza will go on until the remains of all abductees are received.
“It’s been less than 10 days, and we are seeing multiple violations of the ceasefire by Israel and Hamas. I think after such bloodshed and destruction, it will take some time to move in any positive direction,” said Mkhaimar Abusada, a political science professor at Gaza’s Al-Azhar University, who is now in Cairo. The ceasefire, if it hasn’t been breached, is hanging on by a thin thread.
Currently, unexploded bombs continue to threaten Palestinians as they return to their destroyed homes in war-torn areas.
The war in Gaza has devastated Palestine by an Israeli offensive that has killed 68,000 people. Many pundits are calling it a genocide and want Israel held to account for the killings.
The War In Gaza Is Over?
This war feels far from over; however, we could all hold out hope that the ceasefire deal will hold.