Hamas in Gaza is a Palestinian Islamist movement that is both a political organization and an armed group that has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007. Many countries, including the US and EU, designate Hamas as a terrorist organization because of its attacks on Israeli civilians and use of armed tactics.

Origins and ideology

  • Hamas emerged in the late 1980s out of the Muslim Brotherhood during the First Intifada, presenting itself as a resistance movement against Israeli occupation.
  • Its ideology combines Palestinian nationalism with Islamist politics, historically rejecting Israel’s existence while calling for an Islamic-ruled Palestine, though some later documents speak of accepting a state limited to the West Bank and Gaza as an interim step.

Political role in Gaza

  • Hamas entered formal politics and won Palestinian legislative elections in 2006, defeating the rival Fatah movement.
  • After violent clashes with Fatah in 2007, Hamas took full control of the Gaza Strip and has governed there since, running ministries, police, and social services while facing international isolation and sanctions.

Armed wing and conflict

  • Hamas has a military wing called the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, which uses rockets, tunnels, raids, and other tactics against Israeli military and civilian targets.
  • Israel and Hamas have fought repeated wars and escalations from 2008 onward, with extremely high civilian casualties in densely populated Gaza and repeated destruction of homes and infrastructure.

October 7, 2023 and after

  • On 7 October 2023, Hamas led a large-scale attack into southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking more than 200 hostages, actions widely condemned as atrocities and potential war crimes.
  • Israel responded with a massive military campaign in Gaza aimed at destroying Hamas, causing tens of thousands of Palestinian deaths and a severe humanitarian crisis for Gaza’s civilian population.

How different sides view Hamas

  • Supporters and many in Gaza see Hamas as a resistance movement against occupation and blockade, emphasizing its social services and its claim to defend Palestinian rights.
  • Israel, the US, EU, and others emphasize Hamas’s suicide bombings, rocket attacks, hostage-taking, and October 7 assault, framing it primarily as a terrorist organization that endangers both Israelis and Palestinians.

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