Hamas has seen about half of its forces wiped out in eight months of war and is relying on insurgents’ hit-and-run tactics to frustrate Israel’s efforts to take control of Gaza, US and Israeli officials say .
The enclave’s ruling group has been reduced to between 9,000 and 12,000 fighters, down from US estimates of 20,000 to 25,000 before the conflict, according to three senior US officials familiar with battlefield developments. Israel, by contrast, says it has lost nearly 300 troops during the Gaza campaign.
Hamas fighters are now largely avoiding sustained skirmishes with Israeli forces closing in on the southernmost city of Rafah, relying instead on ambushes and improvised bombs to hit targets often behind enemy lines, one of the officials said.
