“Hamas does not want an escalation, but it will not give in either,” said one Palestinian analyst close to the militant group, weakened by a 15-month war with Israel.
Hours after Israel began a massive bombardment of the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, Hamas' military wing has launched no significant counterattacks.
It was the deadliest day since Gaza's ceasefire began nearly two months ago. Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, said more than 400 people had been killed in the aerial bombardment that began before dawn.
However, there were no rocket attacks by Palestinian militants or attempts to ambush Israeli soldiers throughout the day.
Hamas spokesman Suheil al-Hindi responded to the attack, saying the group hoped to restore the ceasefire but reserved the right to respond.
“It is up to those on the ground to decide how to respond,” he said in a telephone interview. “They know and understand how to respond to the occupation.”
There is no doubt that Israel’s 15-month war against Hamas has weakened the group that has long ruled Gaza. Israel has killed thousands of its fighters and destroyed much of its tunnel network, which was used, among other things, to store weapons. And it has crippled Hamas’s ability to fire rockets into Israel.
