Among the many impressive images of the three Israelites the hostages were released on Sundayfeatures video footage of dozens of armed Hamas fighters in full combat gear at the surrender site in Gaza City.

The men who surrounded the women as they were handed over to the Red Cross wore almost new-looking combat fatigues and matching black headscarves with green headbands depicting the Hamas logo.

They also arrived in a convoy of several white cars that looked clean and barely damaged, standing out from the massive destruction of the buildings around them.

Although it was impossible to count exact numbers, it appeared that dozens of armed men surrounded the convoy, with many more scattered among the chaotic crowd that had come to watch.

It was the first major public appearance in months for the militant group responsible for the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in Israel that killed nearly 1,200 people.

The attack sparked a 15-month war and a devastating Israeli bombardment that killed more than 47,000 Palestinians in Gaza, more than half of them women and children.

Choreography by Hamas

The choreography at the handover appeared to be well thought out and designed to send messages to Hamas' opponents as well as to the Palestinians, said those who have studied Israel's closest adversary.

“They are trying to exert control,” said Irwin Mansdorff of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs.

“It's their major achievement that even after all their losses and casualties, they're still in control of Gaza. That's no small thing,” he told CBC News in Jerusalem.

Despite the fact that the names of Romy Gonen, Emilie Damari and Doron Steinbrecher were handed over to Israel late, which delayed the ceasefire, the group is well prepared for their handover.

Each of the women, who were held against their will for 470 days, was given a “gift bag” by Israeli media, bearing the logo of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the militant wing of Hamas.

Inside were reportedly photographs of the captive women, a small map of Gaza and a trinket.A Hamas videographer captured them holding their bags before speeding off and later posting a video on social media.

While Hamas took pains to present the Israelis as guests rather than captives in the only hostage release in November 2023, this event was considerably more elaborate.

“Obviously it was not intended for Israeli consumption,” Mansdorff said, suggesting that Hamas is trying to show Palestinians and others sympathetic to the group that the militants are compassionate actors behaving in legitimate ways.

The women were also issued with printed release certificates by Hamas, allegedly to confirm their detention in Gaza.

Mansdorff says that when faced with the near-collapse of basic services for hundreds of thousands of civilians in Gaza, the fact that Hamas was able to organize the event is remarkable.

“Where did they get a printer to print (certificates), where did they go to the store to get stationery to put these certificates, where do they get cleaners to do the laundry?”

The power is unclear

The exact strength of the armed group is uncertain.

Israeli officials a year ago said approximately 18,000 Hamas fighters have been killed in its attacks, up from a possible 25,000 at the start of the war.They now put the death toll at closer to 20,000, but Hamas says Israel has greatly exaggerated the numbers.

Haaretz, a left-wing Israeli publication that is often highly critical of the government, accused the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).) To indiscriminately kill civilians in Gaza and then claim that the victims belong to Hamas.

Recently, US officials with former Biden administration also noted they believe that while Hamas has lost thousands of fighters, the group has also been able to replace those losses with new recruits, fueled by resentment against Israel's occupation of the territory.

Officials in Benjamin Netanyahu's government acknowledge that the militant group remains a powerful military force.

“We didn't eliminate Hamas, but we definitely turned Hamas from a full-fledged army with many capabilities into a guerrilla army,” said Sharen Haskell, a Canadian-born Israeli member of the Knesset who currently serves as the country's deputy foreign minister. .

He said the demonstration over the hostage exchange was a propaganda effort by Hamas, and that because of the ceasefire members of the group were now apparently confident they could “dare to come out of their underground holes”.

Whether the cessation of fighting is a temporary truce or a more permanent one, Hamas appears to be moving quickly to reassert its presence in Gaza and thwart any efforts by other groups to take control.

In addition to the hostage exchange, uniformed Hamas police are also back on the streets of Gaza, albeit in smaller numbers.

They are trying to show power,” Haskell said.

Post-war plan

Netanyahu has repeatedly stated that his goal is to drive Hamas out of the Gaza Strip, but he has also refused to say who should rule the territory.

Hamas's rival, the Palestinian Authority (PA), led by the Fatah party, controls the occupied West Bank and is headquartered in Ramallah.

The PA has said it is ready and willing to take full responsibility for Gaza, but both Netanyahu and Hamas have rejected that option.

Notably, the newly signed cease-fire between Hamas and Israel does not include an official role for the PA.

The two rivals, who met at the end of 2024, are trying to find common ground, but the process now seems to have stalled.

In addition to its military wing, Hamas also controls Gaza's civilian government, whose officials run everything from the health department to garbage collection to the police.

And while many in Gaza hold Hamas responsible for Israel's destruction of the territory, public criticism of the regime is rare.

However, the public resurgence of Hamas on Day 1 of the ceasefire was widely discussed in the area.

“We didn't expect this,” said Alaa Awdan Khan, a resident of Gaza, in Younis.

“It's a shocking thing for our people, not just Israelis, but Palestinians.”

Mohammed Abdoo, who also lives in Khan Younis, said that after months of Hamas fighters almost disappearing from the streets of Gaza, everyone is surprised to see them suddenly.

“We never thought that Hamas would return with this image and this strength,” he said. “After what we saw (on Sunday), we realized that Hamas is still here and still strong.”

And maybe not only in Gaza.

After Israel released 90 Palestinian detainees early Monday morning, there were huge celebrations in the occupied West Bank communities where the buses dropped them off.

Among the cheering supporters, there were people waving the Hamas flag and expressing support for the militants. developments that are sure to alarm the PA, which is concerned about growing support for Hamas in the West Bank.

Mansdorf said Hamas is seizing the moment to try to portray the ceasefire as a victory despite the enormous cost to Palestinian lives and the massive destruction in the area.

“Is it a victory? How are they doing?”