Defiant in war and isolation, Hamas plays long game in Gaza

RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Each month, hundreds of trucks dense with fuel, cement and different goods transverse a plowed nary man’s onshore betwixt Egypt and the Gaza Strip — and Hamas becomes stronger.

Hamas collects tens of millions of dollars a period successful taxes and customs astatine the crossing successful the borderline municipality of Rafah, according to estimates. The funds assistance it run a authorities and almighty equipped helping portion international assistance covers astir of the basal needs of Gaza’s 2 cardinal residents.

That this is happening with the quiescent acquiescence of Israel, which considers Hamas a violent group, mightiness travel arsenic a surprise.

Israel says it works with Egypt to supervise Rafah successful instrumentality for quiet. The opening of the crossing “was a communal involvement for each parties to guarantee a lifeline for Hamas that would alteration it to support calm successful Gaza and forestall an explosion,” said Mohammed Abu Jayyab, an economist and editor-in-chief of a concern regular successful Gaza.

But there’s much to it. After surviving 4 wars and a astir 15-year blockade, Hamas has lone go much resilient, and Israel has been forced to judge that its sworn force is present to stay.

It has mostly accepted Hamas’ regularisation successful Gaza due to the fact that a prolonged penetration is seen arsenic excessively costly. At the aforesaid time, Hamas furnishes Israeli leaders with a convenient boogeyman -- however tin the Palestinians beryllium allowed statehood if they are divided betwixt 2 governments, 1 of which steadfastly opposes Israel’s precise existence?

Meanwhile, Hamas’ willingness to usage unit — successful the signifier of rockets, protests on the borderline oregon incendiary balloons — has helped it to wrest concessions from Israel.

“Hamas stuck to its presumption and the Israeli authorities made a batch of compromises” aft the warfare successful May, said Omar Shaban, a Gaza-based governmental analyst. “Hamas was stubborn.”

After Hamas seized powerfulness from the Palestinian Authority successful 2007, Israel and Egypt imposed a punishing blockade. A monolithic system based connected smuggling tunnels sprang up successful and astir Rafah. Hamas levied taxes connected goods that were brought in.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi ordered the tunnels destroyed aft starring the 2013 overthrow of an Islamist authorities that had been sympathetic to Hamas. But 4 years and different Gaza warfare later, Egypt agreed to Hamas’ demands to unfastened an above-ground commercialized crossing.

Imports done Gaza’s lone different functioning commercialized crossing — with Israel — are already taxed by Israeli authorities, who transportation immoderate of the revenues to the Palestinian Authority, truthful Hamas tin lone nonstop tiny tariffs without noticeably inflating prices. Rafah belongs to Hamas.

Hamas does not merchandise figures connected nationalist revenues oregon expenses. An Egyptian authorities media serviceman did not respond to a petition for comment.

Some 2,000 truckloads of cement, substance and different goods entered done Rafah successful September, astir doubly the monthly mean successful 2019 and 2020, according to Gisha, an Israeli rights radical that intimately monitors the Gaza closures.

Rami Abu Rish, the managing manager of the crossings astatine the Hamas-run Economy Ministry — who utilized to supervise taxation postulation from the tunnels — says authorities deduce nary much than $1 cardinal a period from the Israeli crossing and up to $6 cardinal from Rafah.

But the Palestinian Authority’s Finance Ministry estimates Hamas derives arsenic overmuch arsenic $30 cardinal a month, chiefly from taxes connected substance and baccy coming successful done Rafah, according to an authoritative who spoke connected information of anonymity to sermon interior figures.

A cigaret importer successful Gaza -- who spoke connected information of anonymity for fearfulness of jeopardizing the commercialized said a tiny radical of merchants imports 9,000 to 15,000 crates of cigarettes done Rafah each month, with Hamas charging $1,000 to $2,000 per crate. That unsocial would bring successful $18 cardinal connected average.

Abu Jayyab, the Gaza economist, estimates Hamas makes up to $27 cardinal a month. That’s successful summation to taxes and customs paid connected cement and fuel.

Israel refuses to speech to Hamas, but implicit the past decennary it has negotiated a bid of informal cease-fires done Egyptian, Qatari and U.N. mediators successful which it has eased the blockade successful instrumentality for calm.

Naftali Bennett was an outspoken professional of the erstwhile government’s argumentation of allowing Qatar to nonstop suitcases of currency into Gaza done an Israeli crossing.

But wrong months of Bennett becoming premier minister, the payments to needy families resumed done a U.N.-run voucher system, and Qatar resumed its publication to the Hamas-run government’s payroll successful the signifier of fuel.

Israel denies it has fixed successful to Hamas’ demands. The caller authorities says it has modified policies to effort to guarantee that humanitarian assistance bypasses Hamas portion responding militarily to adjacent insignificant attacks.

All operation materials — including those brought successful done Rafah — are imported done a monitoring strategy established with the U.N. and the PA aft the 2014 war. Israel says it is barring each new, ample operation projects until a woody is reached to instrumentality 2 captives and the remains of 2 Israeli soldiers held by Hamas since 2014.

Restrictions connected alleged dual-use items that could beryllium utilized for subject purposes are successful spot astatine some the Israeli and Egyptian crossings, said Abu Rish, the Hamas crossing official.

A elder Israeli Defense Ministry authoritative said the extremity is to maximize humanitarian assistance portion minimizing the hazard that it benefits Hamas. The official, who spoke connected information of anonymity successful enactment with regulations, would lone accidental that Israel is alert of the Rafah imports, and is relying connected Egypt to guarantee that the aforesaid restrictions are successful spot determination arsenic determination are astatine the Israeli crossing.

Even arsenic Hamas generates gross for its authorities and from the crossings and taxing businesses, the planetary assemblage sustains the radical of Gaza.

U.N. agencies person spent much than $4.5 cardinal successful Gaza since 2014, including $600 cardinal successful 2020 alone. Most of that backing goes done the U.N. bureau for Palestinian refugees, which provides nutrient aid, wellness services and operates schools for immoderate 280,000 children.

The affluent Gulf authorities of Qatar has sent $1.3 cardinal to Gaza since 2012 to money reconstruction and wellness services, including $500 cardinal pledged aft the May war.

Hamas isn’t going anywhere. And Israel knows it.

“They are facing a fig of problems here,” Abusada said. “But resilience is portion of their strategy. They’re not going to springiness up.”

Associated Press writer Helen Wieffering successful Washington contributed to this report.