Three years after Operation Protective Edge in the Gaza Strip, Hamas faces growing challenges that could prompt it to provoke a fresh round of violence against Israel. The 2014 military campaign dealt a debilitating blow to the infrastructure and image of the terrorist group that rules the Gaza Strip. Hamas' popularity among the Palestinian people is steadily declining, and its ties with the Muslim Brotherhood and Islamic State-affiliated terrorist groups in the Sinai Peninsula are steadily eroding what little legitimacy it has in moderate Arab states. It is not for nothing that Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and other senior members of the Hamas political bureau cannot find a single Arab country willing to host them. Nevertheless, Hamas' situation reflects a paradox. It has managed to retain its military capabilities, and some would even say it has been able to enhance them. While it is believed that Hamas is not ready for another full-scale military conflict with Israel at this time, the prolonged maritime blockade, the continued closure of the Rafah crossing, and the growing distress felt by ordinary Palestinians in the unemployment-stricken enclave -- now also increasingly stifled by an energy crisis -- have prompted Hamas to escalate its rhetoric and threats against Israel. Since the conclusion of the 2014 military campaign, Hamas has spared no effort to restore its military capabilities and infrastructure. The organization rules Gaza's population with a strong hand, exploiting the public sphere solely for its own benefit. Hamas consistently prioritizes its military interests over the needs of the Palestinian people, forcing the population of some 2 million to settle for scraps. This policy, for the most part, is the brainchild of hard-line Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. While on the one hand the challenges Hamas faces in Gaza prevent it from launching a military offensive against Israel, on the other hand, the dire situation in Gaza may push an increasingly desperate Hamas into provoking hostilities. Another armed conflict is something of an ace in the hole for the terrorist group, as it knows a war is sure to draw the attention of the Arab world and the international community, even if it spells the enclave's ruin and the end of Hamas rule in Gaza.
