Israeli (reserve) Major-General Yitzhak Brik says Hamas has regained its pre-war strength, contradicting the Israeli army’s accounts of progress in Gaza, calling the reality on the ground “grim”.

Writing an opinion article published by Israeli news outlet Maariv, Brik claimed that Hamas now numbers about 40,000 fighters, similar to its strength before the war began in Gaza, with many operatives stationed in tunnels.

“They continue to fight as guerrillas as they have been fighting since the beginning of the war,” Brik wrote, Al Jazeera reported.

“They were never an army, and therefore they have not lost their military capabilities as the Chief of Staff [of the Israeli Army] claims.”