CNN: Hamas more intact than IDF says, action in central Gaza limited since hostages believed held there

A CNN investigation purports to contradict Israel’s claims that it has dealt a critical blow to Hamas’s fighting capabilities, arguing that in fact, many of its battalions are still operational and are regenerating.

The US outlet says only three of Hamas’s 24 battalions have been destroyed, eight are combat effective, and the rest have been degraded.

The most intact battalions are said to be in central Gaza, where CNN reports — quoting unnamed Israeli military sources and its own investigation findings — that the IDF has avoided taking extensive action because Hamas fighters there are believed to be holding many of the remaining 111 hostages kidnapped on October 7.