Nearly two years after launching the surprise attack that sparked the war with Israel, Hamas finds itself up against a wall.
Its fighting force has been pummeled by Israel, its charismatic leadership has been all but assassinated and its ceasefire negotiators face unprecedented pressure from Arab governments to give up its weapons and its rule.
"Hamas is facing its worst crisis yet," said Esmat Mansour, a West Bank-based Palestinian political commentator and former militant, who is in touch with figures close to Hamas. "Hamas faces pressures from all directions: from Israel, from the street, from the West and from Arab countries."
The most immediate pressure comes from Israel's latest threat: to besiege Gaza City, after displacing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from the city, and sending soldiers inside to fight in what Israel considers to be one of Hamas' last major strongholds.
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