Hamas has reportedly been unable to pay its fighters for the past three months, largely due to Israeli restrictions on humanitarian aid that have prevented the group from diverting and profiting off supplies. According to a source within the terrorist organization, members of Hamas’s military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, have not received any wages since approximately February, the London-based Arabic newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported. The families of terrorists killed or captured in clashes with Israeli forces are also said to have been denied their customary payments.
HAMAS CONFRONTS ITS GRAVEST CRISIS SINCE 1987
Hamas is experiencing what may be the most severe crisis since its founding in 1987, as the far-reaching consequences of its October 7, 2023, assault on Israeli positions in the Gaza Strip continue to unfold—consequences the group likely never anticipated would be so devastating.
In retaliation for the attack, Israel has launched a sustained military campaign that has resulted in the deaths of more than 50,000 Gazans, including numerous senior Hamas leaders. Large portions of the enclave have been reduced to rubble, and the Israeli military continues to dismantle the remaining infrastructure.
When lsraeI bombed the first hospital in Gaza, the world wouldn’t believe it and Israel blamed a misfired rocket from Hamas.
lsraeI has now destroyed all 36 hospitals in Gaza including its largest, the al-Shifa Hospital.
THIS IS A GENOClDE ????
pic.twitter.com/JZHhDeaPCk— ADAM (@AdameMedia) May 19, 2025
Yet the crisis facing Hamas extends well beyond Gaza. The group is under increasing pressure in Judea and Samaria and abroad, particularly in Lebanon. On all three fronts—militarily, economically, and politically—Hamas is confronting major challenges. In Gaza, the organization is contending with administrative paralysis and a sharp erosion of popular support.
Sources both within and outside Hamas told Asharq Al-Awsat that the movement has never faced such dire circumstances—not during this war, nor during earlier periods of suppression by Israel or the Palestinian Authority in the 1990s. At that time, Hamas lacked the political and military strength it later amassed, yet its current predicament is seen as far more severe.
Economically, the organization is struggling to pay its personnel. Salaries for government employees in Gaza, fighters in the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, and even members working in the group’s various agencies have been delayed or suspended. The financial strain has compounded the movement’s political and military troubles, leaving Hamas facing a deepening crisis on all fronts.
During the massive anti-Hamas protests in Khan Yunis, Gaza, protesters declared: “We have two words to deliver—Hamas out, out.”
For the third day in a row—no media coverage, no headlines. Just thousands risking everything to speak out against Hamas.
We will be their voice. pic.twitter.com/K20X7rUb3H
— Ihab Hassan (@IhabHassane) May 21, 2025
Sources indicate that for the past four months, government employees affiliated with Hamas in Gaza have received only 900 shekels (about $250), sparking widespread resentment and deepening the financial hardship for many families struggling to survive.
Budgets for social services and emergency response agencies have reportedly been nearly frozen during this time, severely restricting the operations of ministries such as Health and Social Development. These agencies now depend almost entirely on international aid to supply fuel and medical necessities.
NO MORE PAY FOR SLAY
The economic crisis extends to Hamas’s military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, which has been unable to pay fighters for approximately three months. The group is also facing major obstacles in securing resources needed for ongoing military operations.
Families of killed, imprisoned, or wounded Hamas fighters have also seen their financial support interrupted for over two and a half months, a dramatic shift from the steady payments that had continued through earlier months of the war. Many depend on this aid, and the sudden halt has left them in increasingly desperate circumstances.
Administratively, Gaza is experiencing a growing vacuum. Many government roles remain unfilled due to Israel’s systematic targeting of individuals attempting to maintain civil services or reestablish order. While Hamas’s military administration remains operational in some areas, ongoing Israeli military pressure and the assassination of key leaders have made operations—particularly in northern and southern Gaza—far more difficult.
Israel releases pictures of strikes on Hamas terror infra in Gaza
God bless our friends in Israel ???????????????? pic.twitter.com/bnjOAomst9
— Frontalforce ???????? (@FrontalForce) May 16, 2025
600 DAYS INTO THE WAR, HAMAS IS ON THE BRINK
Six hundred days into the war, Hamas’s popularity in the Gaza Strip has significantly eroded. Public criticism has escalated beyond social media, with some residents openly confronting and even attacking Hamas members—occasionally with gunfire—an unprecedented development since the group took control of Gaza in 2006.
In the PA, the movement is also facing mounting challenges. Israeli and Palestinian Authority security forces have targeted Hamas with arrests and crackdowns, decimating many of its operational cells and cutting off funding. Sources say several of these cells were intended to carry out attacks inside Israel or in Judea and Samaria, but most efforts were thwarted due to arrests, fear of repercussions, or deteriorating security conditions.
The worsening situation in Gaza has further diminished Hamas’s standing in the PA, especially as Israeli officials warn of turning PA “refugee” neighborhoods—particularly in Samaria—into a “second Gaza,” amid intensifying military operations.
????BREAKING: Anti-Hamas protests have erupted again today in Khan Yunis, Gaza, with crowds chanting “We want to live” in rejection of Hamas’ strategy to sacrifice them all. pic.twitter.com/WGmNuGlBoQ
— Ihab Hassan (@IhabHassane) May 20, 2025
Internationally, Hamas remains more stable financially and administratively but faces growing pressure in Lebanon. Following the ceasefire last November, the group is contending with a complex political and financial environment. Lebanon’s new government has made clear its intent to collect “Palestinian” weapons and curb any activity it sees as a threat to national security, signaling a tougher stance toward Hamas and other “Palestinian” factions.
It remains unclear how Hamas will adapt to these new restrictions in Lebanon, especially with mounting limitations on its weapons, finances, and political activities.
Sources within the movement acknowledge that Hamas has never encountered such a multidimensional crisis—not during past Israeli crackdowns, nor during conflicts with the Palestinian Authority or hostile regional regimes. Though the group has weathered major blows, particularly through Israeli assassinations, the current situation—amid a war nearing its twentieth month—is considered uniquely dire.
Despite describing the circumstances as “catastrophic,” Hamas officials insist the movement can eventually recover after the war, though they concede this will take time. They claim to retain some financial and operational capacity but say the severe security constraints are forcing the movement to operate under an entirely different reality.
