Hamas' armed wing seen ignoring cease-fire deal

Sources in the defense establishment say that Hamas' military wing wants to continue fighting despite its heavy losses. Based on this evaluation, it is believed the Hamas military wing will not agree to a move that includes a cease-fire in which the Egyptians would pledge to work to stop arms smuggling from Sinai to the Gaza Strip.

Decisions in Hamas are not made by an individual, but by consultation among the political leadership in Damascus, the political leadership in the Gaza Strip and the military leadership there.

In the past, the heads of the military wing accepted subservience to the political wing. However, the balance of power within the organization may have changed. The main difficulty influencing the formulation of policy these days is technical: Communication among the various factions is limited due to Israeli pressure. Sources in Israel say that most of the organization's senior figures have gone underground. Senior members of the military wing are not actively involved in the fighting. As far as is known, they are leaving the lower command echelons to face off against the enemy.

Although the military wing has built itself up as a para-military force over the past two years, the Israeli invasion of the Strip has turned it back into an underground group, one that is strict about secrecy and compartmentalization, fighting in relatively small units that are not coordinated by major command frameworks. Nevertheless, in terms of rocket fire on Israel, efforts are being made at coordination. Weapons were distributed among lower-echelon commanders in the various sectors, and Israel has identified attempts at focused rocket attacks at specific hours. Hamas also sends a regular small "portion" of longer-range Katyushas (40 kilometers) to maintain a threat on areas further from the Strip).

The first signs of anarchy have appeared over the the past few days following the major blow dealt the Hamas government. Sources in Israel say government officials have "no office left to sit in." In the military wing, it is mainly senior figures in charge of rocket launches who have been hit, along with the battalion commanders Israel has assassinated. Most of the Hamas battalion and company commanders had munitions stockpiles in their homes, which were blown up from the air.

The defense establishment can identify some 290 Palestinian casualties by name so far. Some 200 of them are known operatives in terror groups or those involved in some way in the fighting. The Palestinians have counted about 540 dead so far, and according to sources in the Gaza Strip, most of those killed in the fighting are civilians.