Most Hamas officials I have met or spoken to in recent weeks acknowledge that the main goals set by the movement after the 7 October attack on Israel have not been achieved.
These included stopping the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem, establishing a Palestinian state, freeing all Palestinian prisoners and lifting the siege on Gaza.
However, they insist that Israel’s failure to eliminate Hamas or remove it from the political scene constitutes a victory.
“Israel promised to eliminate Hamas, but now they are sitting in the same building with Hamas leaders and negotiating with them,” a senior Hamas official told me in a phone call before the ceasefire was announced.
I put to him that Gaza was in ruins, Israel had killed tens of thousands and eliminated most of Hamas’s leaders – how did they consider this a victory?
The official replied: “In terms of numbers, Gaza has paid an unimaginable price. But in terms of gains and losses, Israel failed to break the will of the Palestinians, the resistance, or to push the people out of the country.”
He described the attack by the group, which is proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the UK and other countries, as the “biggest military and security blow” in Israel’s history. “Nothing can change that.”
In Gaza, people’s reactions are conflicted. Tears and jubilation intermingle, reflecting both relief that the death toll may soon stop rising and fear of the uncertain future which awaits 1.2 million people who have lost their homes, schools, universities and hospitals.
The debate in Gaza about 7 October, when around 1,200 people were killed and 251 others taken hostage, has continued throughout the war and intensified after the ceasefire was announced.
Some defend Hamas, claiming its survival alone is enough to call it a victory, while others criticise the movement, arguing that the unprecedented price paid by Palestinians constitutes a defeat.
Mohammed Imad al-Din, a barber in Gaza City forced to flee to Khan Younis with his wife and children along with more than a million others, told the BBC: “If killing 46,000 people, displacement and destruction is a victory, then I hope the leaders of Hamas can explain the meaning of defeat.
“I’m relieved, but definitely not happy because the future is uncertain.”
Meanwhile, Saifjan Al-Shami, a doctor at the Islamic University of Gaza, said on Facebook she was “surprised by any Palestinian, especially a Gazan, who does not acknowledge the victory of his country and mocks those who say we won.
“Yes, Gaza won, and Hamas won. Hey, do you know the criteria for victory before you speak? You must review yourself, your patriotism and your loyalty to Gaza. Gaza won despite the spite of the haters.”
For now it is too early to judge whether the war will end after the first stage of the ceasefire agreement.
The majority of Gazans feel that the sound of gunfire may soon fall silent, but the sounds of suffering, regret and pain will continue for generations to come.
