It is broke and divided, but Hamas is gambling that a limited war with Israel will enhance its fortunes. The group is acting out of weakness, having lost most of its bankrollers. Egypt’s crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood, the group’s political cousins, and its restrictions on the use of the smuggling tunnels from Gaza — the economic lifeblood of the strip and its 1.7 million people — has driven the group into bankruptcy. President Assad of Syria no longer picks up its bills; the group’s HQ in Damascus has long since been dismantled.

Even Qatar is thinking twice about its subsidies. To reinvigorate Arab support, Hamas needs to become a fighter and victim again.

It is a reckless logic, but the inevitable bloodshed could significantly shift the terms of the strategic conflict throughout the region and propel it into a period of chaotic warfare that spreads across several borders.

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