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Cairo, 6 July 2025 – A senior officer from Hamas’s security forces has told the BBC that the Palestinian armed group has lost control over approximately 80% of the Gaza Strip, with armed clans filling the resulting power vacuum. The officer, speaking anonymously via voice messages, described a near-total collapse of Hamas’s command structure due to relentless Israeli strikes that have decimated its political, military, and security leadership.
The lieutenant colonel, injured in the early days of the war sparked by Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, said the group’s ability to govern has disintegrated. “There’s barely anything left of the security structure. Most of the leadership, about 95%, are now dead,” he stated. “Hamas’s control is zero. There’s no leadership, no command, no communication.” The officer detailed a breakdown in security, with looting rampant and no police or security forces to intervene. He recounted how Hamas’s key security complex, Ansar, was stripped bare, with even basic items like mattresses and zinc panels stolen. In the absence of authority, armed clans have emerged as powerful players, particularly in southern Gaza, controlling areas with money, weapons, and manpower. One such group, led by Yasser Abu Shabab, has gained significant attention. The officer confirmed Hamas has placed a bounty on Abu Shabab, fearing he could unite the group’s rivals. Sources in Gaza suggest Abu Shabab is coordinating with other armed factions to form a joint council aimed at toppling Hamas. Israel has acknowledged supplying weapons to Abu Shabab’s group, while a retired Palestinian security official in Cairo claimed he has ties with the Palestinian Authority and regional actors, including Mohammad Dahlan’s camp. The security vacuum has led to chaos, with gangs dominating entire neighbourhoods. An Israeli drone strike on 26 June killed 18 people, including a Hamas police unit attempting to control a market in Deir al-Balah, highlighting the challenges of restoring order. The officer warned that Abu Shabab’s growing influence could spell “the beginning of the end” for Hamas, which has ruled Gaza for 17 years but now faces threats from both Israel and internal rivals. As Gaza descends further into lawlessness, the collapse of Hamas’s authority raises serious questions about the region’s future stability.
