Hamas Has no Intention of Disarming and is Seeking To Build Up Forces in Gaza Again, Israeli Intelligence Concludes

Israeli intelligence officials presented a report to U.S. counterparts claiming that Hamas has no intention of disarming and is seeking to build up forces in Gaza again, according to a new report.

The document in question also claims that Hamas has no intention of cooperating with any international body, as efforts to implement a plan crafted by the Board of Peace continues to stall, and the group can only be disarmed through military confrontation.

The Israel Defense Forces concluded that Hamas repaired its tunnel system in Gaza and continues to produce weapons in the areas it still controls, also managing to bring back its number of operatives to between 35,000 and 40,000, the figure before the war began.

The conclusion stands in contrast with an August report from Axios, which claimed that Hamas officials told Jared Kushner they will take steps to demilitarize Gaza. Kushner asked for concrete steps and met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make advancements on the other side.

Hamas leaders reaffirmed their commitment to disarm, with a source saying that the meeting was "very productive" in the goal of ensuring concrete steps to that end. They asked him to tell President Donald Trump of their stance. The agreement includes transferring government authority to a technocratic authority and ensuring Hamas is not involved in the future governance of Gaza.

Kushner was joined by Board of Peace high representative Nickolay Mladenov and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, also a member of the board.

Recent reports claim that preparations for a multinational force to enter Gaza continue despite delays in approval for the plan. The Times of Israel noted that hundreds of Moroccan personnel have been trained to enter the enclave. Albania, Kazakhstan and Kosovo has also pledged troops, with Morocco being the first one to deploy forces.

Netanyahu has said that Israel won't permit any reconstruction in Gaza until Hamas is disarmed and the territory is demilitarized. The only exception is a compound backed by the United Arab Emirates for displaced Palestinians in the part of Gaza that Israel controls.

"The only thing we've agreed to s an 'Emirati bubble' — they're people who help us with many things," Netanyahu said.