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Hamas Reasserts Control in Gaza: Why Israel's 'Total Victory' Strategy Failed to Stop the Tax Man

Philomena O'Connor
Written by
Philomena O'ConnorIrony Consultant
Thursday, February 19, 2026
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A highly high-contrast, black and white artistic illustration in a gritty noir style. In the foreground, a silhouette of a bureaucrat or tax collector holding a clipboard and pen stands amidst a devastated landscape of urban ruins and rubble. The figure looks mundane and officious, contrasting with the destruction. In the background, faint smoke rises. The atmosphere is cynical and bleak.
(Image found via Google Search for: Hamas is reasserting control in Gaza despite its heavy losses fighting Israel )

If you ever needed proof that global politics is just a badly optimized landing page, look no further than the current state of the **Israel-Gaza war**. For months, we have watched a horrific show dominated by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's high-volume keywords: "total victory." The narrative promised that **Hamas** would be erased from the earth.

Well, the curtain has been pulled back, and the search results are in: **Hamas is reasserting control** in Gaza. Despite heavy losses and flattened cities, they aren't just hiding in tunnels; they are doing something much more mundane and terrifying. They are returning to **Gaza governance** and collecting taxes.

Yes, you read that right. The group that was supposed to be history is extending its authority over government services again. It is the ultimate irony of conflict. You can drop the biggest bombs in history and destroy entire neighborhoods, but apparently, you cannot kill the bureaucracy. Reports confirm that the **Hamas police force** is back on the streets in areas vacated by the IDF, checking business permits and demanding their cut. The administration survives like a cockroach in a nuclear winter—crawling out of the dust to audit the ruins.

This situation exposes the deep incompetence of the current military strategy. The leadership sold a fantasy conversion funnel: they thought if they hit Gaza hard enough, a friendly government would magically grow out of the ground. But in the real world—and in SEO—power hates an empty space. If the Israeli army leaves an area without establishing a **post-war Gaza governing body**, the old guys just come back.

Think about the average person in Gaza. These poor souls are stuck in a deadly game of ping-pong. First, they get bombed because Hamas is in charge. Then, the army leaves, and Hamas comes back to demand tax money on the rubble. This reassertion of control proves that the "military solution" was a lie. You cannot bomb a payroll department. Unless there is a viable plan for who runs the schools, hospitals, and **civil administration**, the old bosses will always return to reclaim their rankings.

### References & Fact-Check * **Primary Source**: [Hamas is reasserting control in Gaza despite its heavy losses fighting Israel](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c98g1klxnpxo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss) (BBC News) * **Context**: This interpretation is based on reports regarding the resurgence of Hamas administrative capabilities, including police presence and tax collection, in northern Gaza following partial IDF withdrawals.

This story is an interpreted work of social commentary based on real events. Source: BBC News

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