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Monday, April 14, 2008       Free Headline Alerts

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HAMAS EXPANDS GAZA FORCE TO 20,000 TEL AVIV — The Hamas regime has expanded its military and security force to 20,000, a report said.

An Israeli government report said Hamas has formed a military and security force based on training by Hizbullah, Iran and Syria. The report by the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center said Hamas also controls Palestinian militias prepared to contribute forces in any war against Israel.

"In the past few years, especially since the disengagement, Hamas's military-terrorist infrastructure has gradually transformed itself into a hierarchical structure with semi-military patterns of action," the report said.

The report, titled "Hamas's Military Buildup in the Gaza Strip," asserted that the Islamic regime has unified militias throughout the Gaza Strip. The new force has a military command and logistics system.

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"However, it is not a classical military organization, and under fire Hamas can be expected to employ the principles of asymmetric warfare," the report said, "the directing of small fighting units — platoons and squads -- focusing on hit and run attacks; blending in with and disappearing into the civilian population, while making extensive use of civilians as human shields."

The Israeli intelligence think tank said Hamas's Executive Force, responsible for internal security, contains 10,000 officers. Hamas's military wing, Izzedin Kassam and led by Mohammed Deif, was said to comprise of 15,000 combatants.

The report said Hamas could recruit up to 4,000 fighters from other militias. Some of the fighters were said to be prepared to come under Hamas command in any war with Israel.

"Thus, the entire strength Hamas has at its command in the Gaza Strip is about 20,000 armed men of varying degrees of skill and professionalism," the report said.

Hamas's military wing consists of territorial brigades and special units. Each brigade contains more than 1,000 combatants, equipped with anti-tank infantry, sabotage and medical squads.

The report, based on data provided by the Israel Security Agency, said Hamas's military contains anti-aircraft units, the Russian-origin Dragunov sniper assault rifle, 122 mm rockets and other weapons.

"As part of its military buildup project, Hamas is making an effort supplement its independently-produced weapons and ammunition with standard equipment," the report said. "Hamas grants great importance to artillery -- rockets and mortars -- anti-tank weapons and improvised explosive devices for use against the IDF's infantry and armored combat vehicles since those types of weapons proved themselves in Hizbullah's fighting against the IDF on the Lebanese scene."

The regime's internal security forces number 10,000, about 60 percent of them civilian police. The forces contain a rapid response unit, VIP protection, national security, internal security, maritime and civil defense.

"Hamas's terrorist policy is characterized by treading a fine line to defuse the tension between its governmental duties on the one hand and its belligerent jihadist identity and faith in attacks as the means of achieving its strategic objectives on the other," the report said. "That means the controlled use of terrorism — including rocket fire — to achieve its goals seeking, at least for the time being, to avoid an overall confrontation with the IDF in the Gaza Strip."


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