Hamas bolsters influence through clan heads and neighborhood panels

Hamas operatives have moved to deepen connections with clan and tribal figures across the Gaza Strip in order to reinforce their standing ahead of any planned handover to a technocratic body, according to a KAN Reshet Bet report released on Wednesday.

The organization is advancing individuals linked to it into prominent roles inside clan frameworks through council votes and the naming of local administrators known as muktars, the account stated.

Earlier this month sources close to the situation informed The Jerusalem Post that Hamas intends to keep its authority even while signaling readiness to pass control to a technocratic panel.

A senior Palestinian official based in Ramallah told the Post on July 6 that Hamas has not signaled the close of its governance in Gaza.

The official added that the group announced the end of what it termed the emergency committee yet at once set up another interim body to administer the territory and named a leader for it.

The report indicated that Hamas offers clans working with it various incentives such as help settling internal disputes and priority access to aid supplies and other advantages so the families grow reliant on the group leaders.

Hamas installs allies atop neighborhood bodies in camps and shelters

Palestinian security sources reported a clear rise in Hamas efforts to install trusted individuals as heads of neighborhood panels inside refugee camps and tent sites for displaced residents, KAN noted.

The move aims to tighten Hamas hold over civilians, the sources said, while also shaping local actors to back its aims, preserve order on its terms, limit disorder, and heighten its monitoring reach.

Hamas has formed relief communities inside the tent camps, the Post has learned.

Inside those sites the group has set up panels tasked with caring for residents, delivering services, and handling supplies. These panels serve as a means for Hamas to embed itself among the population, with members feeding information back to the group and watching daily activities in the camps.

Entities such as the Gaza chamber of commerce continue to operate under close Hamas oversight.

Hamas warns of penalties for those joining anti-group rallies

Before recent protests against Hamas the group warned that participants would face punishment and removal from the camps, the Post learned.

Hamas holds sway over several Gazan clans. Even when families wish to stay neutral they often must cooperate because of the leverage the group wields.

When Hamas declared it was dissolving its governing structure some clan spokesmen held a press event that repeated the group message to lend it added weight.

This approach reflects a long-standing Hamas method of binding clans and families to its rule.

Dana Ben-Shimon contributed to this report.