HAMAS IS BUILDING AN ARMY IN GAZA

Hamas Building an Army in Gaza - James Hider (Times-UK)
Hamas is now organizing its guerrilla forces into a regular army, training its men in various specializations and preparing to defend its newly won fiefdom from an Israeli invasion that many feel is never far away.

Among the footsoldiers who materialize only a few hundred meters from the Israeli border is an expert sapper who places explosives in the likely tracks of raiding tanks, then removes them again in the morning when his unit leaves. Another is a sniper, while the man with the rocket-propelled grenade launcher is in charge of hitting armored vehicles. Each unit has its own paramedic. There are scores of these cells of six to eight men dotted along the fence with Israel.

Part of the recalibration of Hamas is a change in philosophy, with less emphasis on a martyr's death and more on achieving military goals and returning alive. "Our men know now it's more important to keep fighting and not to become a martyr," said Abu Ahmed, a 40-year-old commander in the armed wing of Hamas, the Iz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. "Our motto is 'victory or death,' but victory comes first." The new attitude had allowed Hamas to reduce its casualties and build a more experienced force, he said.

Some of the acquired skills can seem surprisingly high-tech. Abu Bakr, another commander in Gaza City, claims to have hacked into unmanned drones that fly over Gaza with cameras, allowing them to see what the Israelis see.