As the cease-fire in Gaza was coming into effect on Sunday, masked gunmen, crowded into white pickup trucks, paraded through the streets of Gaza while supporters chanted the name of Hamas’s military wing. By sending its fighters out in an unmistakable show of force, Hamas was trying to deliver an unequivocal message to Palestinians in Gaza, to Israel and to the international community: that despite heavy losses during the war among Hamas’s fighters, police officers, political leaders and government administrators, it remains the dominant Palestinian power in Gaza.
“The message is that Hamas is ‘the day after’ for the war,” said Ibrahim Madhoun, an analyst close to Hamas based in Turkey, using a phrase that refers to the future administration of Gaza.
“They’re conveying that Hamas must be a part of any future arrangements, or at least, be coordinated with,” he added.
On Sunday, the Hamas-run government media office announced that thousands of police officers were beginning to deploy throughout the territory to “preserve security and order.” Government ministries and institutions, the media office said, were prepared to start working “according to the government plan to implement all the measures that guarantee bringing back normal life.”
At the Nasser Medical Complex in the southern city of Khan Younis, at least three uniformed police officers were standing as the Palestinian national anthem played in the background, according to a video posted on social media and verified by The New York Times.
Later on Sunday, dozens of uniformed, gun-toting Hamas militants were seen in Saraya Square in Gaza City next to a car holding Israeli hostages before they were handed over to the Red Cross. The militants were attempting to push away crowds of people pressing toward the car.
Even as Hamas attempts to project that it still controls Gaza and plans to play a key role in its administration, its future there remains uncertain. Israeli officials have said they have not given up on their stated war goal of dismantling Hamas’s military wing and government, strongly suggesting that they could resume the war against the militant group after the freeing of some hostages.
Gideon Saar, the Israeli foreign minister, said on Sunday that Hamas’s rule was dangerous for Israel’s security and emphasized that Israel had not agreed to a permanent cease-fire that leaves Hamas in power.
“We are determined to achieve the objectives of the war,” he said.
While some analysts say Israel could eventually remove Hamas from power, others say it would struggle to resume the war in the face of international pressure. And even if it does, those analysts say, Israeli forces will face immense challenges in uprooting Hamas from Gaza without carrying out a direct occupation.
Ali Jarbawi, a political science professor at Birzeit University, said Hamas’s parades through Gaza on Sunday were more than a message to the international community that it was in control. They also reflect the reality on the ground, he said.
“Hamas was there before the war and they’re there now,” he said.
Aritz Parra contributed reporting.
