What is Hamas’ Strategy?

0:00Today on State of the World, what is Hamas' strategy?

0:08You're listening to State of the World from NPR. We bring you the day's most vital international stories up close where they're happening. It's Friday, August 22nd. I'm Greg Dixon. In a few minutes, the pressure Hamas is facing from Arab countries while it seeks to ensure its own survival. First, a U.N.-backed panel of experts has declared a full-blown famine in the northern part of Gaza. They say half a million people are facing, quote, catastrophic conditions. During nearly two years of war, Israel has put limitations on aid entering Gaza. And for two and a half months, it blockaded all aid.

0:46Israel denies there's a famine. They blame the lack of food on Hamas, accusing them of hijacking aid. But there's been no public evidence provided of that. And aid groups tell NPR they haven't seen that kind of systematic theft. NPR's Michelle Kellerman tells us more about what this famine declaration means. The lead UN humanitarian official Tom Fletcher says the world should be shocked by the report, which he says includes, quote, irrefutable testimony. It is a famine in 2025, a 21st century famine, watched over by drones and the most advanced military technology in history. It is a famine openly promoted by some Israeli leaders as a weapon of war.

1:34Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls it an outright lie and says the only ones being intentionally starved in Gaza are the Israeli hostages held by Hamas. The State Department says Hamas is promoting a, quote, false narrative of deliberate mass starvation to put political pressure on Israel. It also suggests that the authors of the report may have changed the definition for what constitutes a famine. But the World Food Program's Jean-Martin Bauer says this report was written by well-known experts who have been analyzing food security data for decades. This is the gold standard in terms of analysis for food security and nutrition worldwide.

2:14The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC as it's known, ranks food insecurity on a scale of one to five. Northern Gaza is now listed as phase five, a famine. And the report warns that other areas could reach that level in the coming weeks. Lise Grande, who was the Biden administration's point person on humanitarian aid for Gaza, was stunned to read this. I did not envision, and I don't think any of us who were in Gaza at the time, envisioned that the situation would become this bad. The Trump administration did not fill her job when she left, and rather than working through the UN, it has backed a new aid program at distribution centers in areas controlled by the Israeli military.

2:57Grande wouldn't comment on that, but says there is only one way to reverse this man-made famine. And the way to reverse it is to get as much aid as possible and as quickly as possible. The key to that is the Israelis need to open up access into the Gaza Strip. That's the solution. Everybody knows it. That has to be the number one priority right now. Kate Phillips Barrasso of Mercy Corps agrees. We are talking about people starving to death literally miles away from where there are organizations that are desperately trying to provide them this assistance. Her aid group has been working in Gaza for decades but hasn't been able to do much in recent months after Israel ended a two-month ceasefire in March.

3:42Local staff in Gaza are having a hard time feeding their own family, she says, and the aid they want to deliver can't get through Israeli checkpoints. Philip Sporrasso wants the Trump administration to push harder for a ceasefire that would allow the aid to flow. At the moment, though, Israel is calling up more reservists for a potential offensive in Gaza City. With the events going on around Gaza City right now, we're looking at a situation that may accelerate the suffering as opposed to creating the conditions for alleviating it. So the U.S. needs to be involved in figuring this out as soon as possible because we have no time left for the people of Gaza.

4:21Although he has acknowledged starvation in Gaza, President Trump still backs Israel's position, accusing Hamas of extortion by continuing to hold hostages. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, the State Department. While civilians suffer hunger in the Gaza Strip, as Michelle mentioned, the threat of increased fighting is looming. A plan to seize densely populated Gaza City was approved by Israel's security cabinet earlier this month. Meanwhile, Israel's target in this war, Hamas, recently accepted a new ceasefire proposal put forward by Egypt and Qatar. Israel has yet to respond to that proposal directly.

5:01NPR's Daniel Estrin reports on what might have motivated Hamas to make that decision now and its strategy for the future. Nearly two years after it launched the surprise attack that sparked the war with Israel, Hamas is facing its worst crisis yet, says Palestinian political analyst and former militant Esmat Mansour. He's in touch with figures close to Hamas. Hamas faces pressures from all directions, he says, from Israel, from the street, from the West, and from Arab countries. Last month, for the first time, the 22 countries of the Arab League called in a statement for Hamas to give up control of Gaza and hand over its weapons.

5:46Hamas' main goal is to exist and only to exist, Mansour says. Israel is trying to end Hamas' existence as a military and governing force in Gaza. Hamas knows militarily Israel is stronger. Mansour says one thing that plays to Hamas' advantage is Israelis' impatience as the war drags on. He says Israeli soldiers will get tired, Israelis will increasingly protest to end the war, international pressure will increase on Israel, and all Hamas must do is preserve its one bargaining chip, the hostages. Ibrahim El-Madhun, a Palestinian analyst in Turkey who's close to Hamas, He says Hamas is trying to improve its relations with Arab governments.

6:32He says the main disagreement between Hamas and the Arab countries is using weapons against Israel. But he says their governments realize the Palestinian cause is important to their people, and Hamas is the primary player. Samir Gattas is an Egyptian security analyst who studies Hamas and Gaza. He says Hamas is wrong. Arabs support Gazans, not Hamas.

7:00Hamas has no real military capabilities left, he says, just localized guerrilla warfare. But Hamas also refuses to give up its weapons and join the internationally recognized Palestinian leadership committed to diplomacy. So Hamas is stepping up its fighting. On Wednesday, a group of Hamas militants stormed an Israeli military position in southern Gaza, leading to close-range fighting. Most of the Hamas militants were killed, according to the Israeli military. Israel thinks Hamas may have tried to abduct a soldier. The ambush demonstrates how Hamas is still willing to fight at all costs. In Gaza, 35-year-old Mohamed Ahmed tells NPR producer Anas Baba that Hamas cannot afford to give up its weapons now.

7:52No one will accept during a battle and a continuous fight with the occupation to surrender their weapons, he says. The Israelis will not leave Gaza if Hamas surrenders its weapons. 22-year-old Amjad Saleh says civilians, not Hamas, are paying the price of the war. Hamas is not here at all. Their leaders are either abroad or in the tunnels underground in Gaza. They conduct their operations, and we get punished for it, he says. The plan for displacement is coming. That displacement is Palestinians' biggest concern now. Israel's military is calling up tens of thousands more soldiers and vowing in the coming weeks to take control of Gaza City and drive out hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to southern Gaza, near the Egyptian border.

8:43Israel eventually seeks to send as many Palestinians as possible to other countries. That could be one major driving factor for Egypt to help propose a new ceasefire and for Hamas to support it, to hold off the bigger concern of a mass displacement of Palestinians from Gaza into Egypt or beyond. Daniel Estrin, NPR News.

9:13That's the State of the World from NPR. Thanks for listening.