A captured Hamas military document found by IDF troops in the Gaza Strip in early 2025 shows how the terrorist organization used the ceasefire to train new fighters for a possible renewed war with Israel.
The document, which was revealed on Tuesday, outlines a compressed seven-day training course for 121 new recruits in Hamas’s Shejaia Battalion, including weapons training, battlefield first aid, counter-drone instruction, and lessons drawn from the October 7 massacre.
The training program was designed around a tight schedule, apparently due to Hamas concerns that the ceasefire could collapse. Recruits were instructed in the use of Israeli weapons, including M16 rifles and Tavor assault rifles, as well as attacks on tanks and armored personnel carriers from short and long range.
The document also described combat documentation meant for later distribution on social media as part of Hamas’s psychological warfare against Israel. The course reportedly included operational lessons from Hamas’s October 7 attack and procedures for protecting information security.
Izz ad-Din al-Haddad sought to restore Hamas command structures
One of the central findings was Hamas commander Izz ad-Din al-Haddad’s effort to rebuild the organization’s operational frameworks at the platoon, company, and battalion levels after heavy losses and damage to its chain of command.
The document further shows that recruits underwent ideological and religious instruction, including lectures and an oath of loyalty to the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing. The oath reportedly emphasized obedience, equipment protection, and information security.
Israeli assessments indicate that the same recruitment and training model may have been repeated in other Hamas battalions during pauses in the fighting. The document said that similar training took place in three additional battalions, with 12 instructors assigned to each.
The findings align with recent Israeli security assessments that Hamas has continued attempts to rebuild its military wing during the ceasefire. The Post reported last week that the IDF was preparing possible plans for renewed fighting in Gaza while officials warned that Hamas was partially rehabilitating its military capabilities.
The document points to an organized Hamas effort to use pauses in combat for accelerated but structured military training ahead of a renewed confrontation with Israel.
