> I'm sure Hamas could figure out how to install Signal from clean APKs
I think you are overestimating how technically savvy guerrilla fighters – or armies in general – typically are. Even if a handful of elites were savvy, the vast majority are going to have less knowledge and show terrible opsec. And considering that even many security researchers complain how difficult it is to ensure a secure setup for Signal or any other smartphone-based system, I wouldn’t expect Hamas to be any better.
Of course Gaza wasn’t a particularly poor country. It even has its own dev community attracting outsourcing work. But that doesn’t make opsec in this area any easier or them any more qualified than the average.
I think you are overestimating how technically savvy guerrilla fighters – or armies in general – typically are. Even if a handful of elites were savvy, the vast majority are going to have less knowledge and show terrible opsec. And considering that even many security researchers complain how difficult it is to ensure a secure setup for Signal or any other smartphone-based system, I wouldn’t expect Hamas to be any better.
Of course Gaza wasn’t a particularly poor country. It even has its own dev community attracting outsourcing work. But that doesn’t make opsec in this area any easier or them any more qualified than the average.