Hamas is a Palestinian Islamist movement and armed group, while Gaza (the Gaza Strip) is a small, densely populated coastal territory where about 2 million Palestinians live and where Hamas has been the de facto governing authority since 2007.

What is Hamas?

Hamas is a Palestinian Islamist organization founded in the late 1980s during the First Intifada, emerging from branches of the Muslim Brotherhood in Gaza.

It has both a political wing, which participates in Palestinian politics, and an armed wing (the Izz adā€‘Din alā€‘Qassam Brigades), which has carried out attacks against Israel, including suicide bombings, rocket fire, and the largeā€‘scale 7 October 2023 assault.

Many Western governments (including the US, UK, and EU) designate Hamas as a terrorist organization, while some states and supporters frame it as a resistance movement against Israeli occupation.

In 2006, Hamas won Palestinian legislative elections; after violent clashes with its rival Fatah in 2007, it took full control of Gaza, leaving the Palestinian Authority in charge of parts of the West Bank and Hamas in charge of Gaza.

Hamas in the current war

On 7 October 2023, Hamas and other militants fired rockets into Israel and infiltrated communities near Gaza, killing more than a thousand people and taking many hostages, in what became the deadliest attack in Israelā€™s history.

Israel declared war on Hamas, imposed a ā€œcomplete siegeā€ on Gaza, and launched extensive airstrikes and a ground invasion, causing massive destruction and high civilian casualties in the territory.

What is Gaza?

The Gaza Strip is a narrow piece of land on the Mediterranean coast, bordered by Israel, Egypt, and the sea, about 40 km long and up to 12 km wide.

Around 2 million Palestinians live there, the majority refugees or descendants of refugees from the 1948 Arabā€“Israeli war, making it one of the most densely populated places in the world.

Since 2007, after Hamas took control, Israel (with Egypt controlling the southern border) has imposed tight restrictions on movement of people and goods in and out of Gaza, often described as a blockade.

Conditions in Gaza have long been difficult, with recurring wars, infrastructure damage, and chronic shortages of electricity, clean water, and medical supplies, which worsened dramatically after the 2023 war escalated.

Gaza in the wider conflict

Gaza is one core arena of the broader Israeliā€‘Palestinian conflict, which revolves around competing national claims, occupation, security, borders, refugees, and control of land and resources.

Armed groups based in Gaza, primarily Hamas but also others, have fired rockets into Israel, while Israel has carried out repeated military operations, leading to cycles of violence and significant civilian suffering on both sides.

Different viewpoints (very simplified)

  • Many Israelis and Western governments see Hamas primarily as a terrorist group that deliberately targets civilians and poses an existential security threat to Israel.
  • Many Palestinians and supporters abroad see Hamas, despite criticism of its tactics, as part of a broader resistance to occupation and blockade, and they highlight the longā€‘term suffering and displacement of people in Gaza.
  • Human rights groups and some international organizations focus on civilian protection, condemning attacks on civilians by Hamas and the scale of Israeli military actions and blockade in Gaza as violations of international humanitarian law.

Brief HTML table for clarity

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Topic Hamas Gaza Strip
Basic definition Palestinian Islamist political and armed group. Small coastal Palestinian territory between Israel and Egypt.
Role Governs Gaza de facto since 2007, runs political and military structures.Home to about 2 million Palestinians, many refugees; core battleground in the conflict.
International view Designated a terrorist organization by many Western states; others frame it as resistance.Subject to blockade and recurrent wars; major humanitarian concern.
Current war context Launched 7 Oct 2023 attack on Israel, triggering fullā€‘scale war.Site of intense Israeli military operations, destruction, and displacement.
**TL;DR:** Hamas is the Islamist political and armed group that governs Gaza, and Gaza is the crowded Palestinian coastal territory at the center of the recent Israelā€‘Hamas war and longā€‘running Israeliā€‘Palestinian conflict.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.