Six months after the surprise attacks it launched into Israel, triggering the Gaza conflict, Hamas is weakened and divided but far from defeated, experts, officials and sources close to the militant Islamist organisation say.Hamas remains in de facto control of swaths of Gaza, including the parts where much of the territory’s population is now concentrated, and has re-established a presence elsewhere. In recent days, Hamas “operatives” armed with batons have been sighted keeping order on the streets of Khan Younis, the southern city from which Israeli forces withdrew just last week. On Wednesday, rockets targeting a kibbutz in Israel were launched by militants from Jabaliya in northern Gaza.Few members of the organisation’s top echelons have been harmed so far and much of its extensive tunnel network remains intact. However, the organisation’s ability to effectively govern is much reduced, its military stores are depleted, and thousands of fighters are dead.The months-long war has also led to new tensions between Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader in Gaza, and leaders based overseas, mainly in Qatar and Turkey. In recent weeks, bitter arguments have broken out over what would be acceptable terms for a ceasefire and over the future strategy of Hamas, well-informed sources in direct contact with senior Hamas figures said.One such source said the split was between exiles who favour a nationalist strategy, with Hamas part of an anti-western coalition alongside powers such as Russia or Iran, and a Gaza leadership that has “doubled down” on the organisation’s original Islamist project while remaining committed to the local fight against Israel. Another pointed to deep personal animosity between Sinwar and Khaled Mashal, who is the best known of Hamas’s political leaders.An emerging problem for Hamas is dissent within Gaza, a consequence of the group’s weakened authority on the population and the massive cost of the 7 October attack.Though one poll suggested support for the organisation in the territory, there is evidence for deepening anger among many there. In late March, Hamas issued an unprecedented apology for the suffering caused by the war in Gaza, where famine now looms, and acknowledged the population’s “exhaustion”.