JOIN USExplained | What is Hamas? What's their role in Palestine?
Hamas on Saturday launched one of their deadliest and most coordinated offensives against Israel, including aerial, land, and sea attacks. Around 5,000 rockets were launched, lives claimed and hostages taken. Even as the Israeli president announced they were at a state of war and promised the attackers would pay a price, Hamas refused to back down in face of the counter-offensive which again resulted in the loss of lives in Gaza.
What is Hamas?
Ḥarakat al-Muqāwamah al-ʾIslāmiyyah, or Hamas for short, is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic militant organisation with a significant presence in the Gaza strip to the west of Israel. The organisation has two wings -- Dawah, the social service wing, and Izz ad-Din al-Qassam, the military wing.
What is Hamas's history?
In 1987, riots and protests broke out against the Israeli occupation of Gaza, the West Bank and pockets within Israel in what is known as the First Intifada. The Hamas back then was in its nascent stages as a breakaway faction of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. The co-founder of the organisation, Sheik Ahmed Yassin, revealed that Hamas aimed to 'liberate Palestine' from Israeli occupation from the geographical area, including Israel, West Bank and the Gaza strip. Hamas has since varied on finer details of its stance, including accepting a truce if Israel followed certain conditions.
How is their relationship with Israel?
Israel and Hamas have been at loggerheads ever since the inception of the organisation. Hamas has attacked Israeli civilians using homemade and short-range rockets, mortar shelling and other arms. Often, these attacks have been termed retaliatory for Israeli actions against the leadership of Hamas and making fresh settlements in Palestinian territory. Both actors have fought three wars since Hamas took over control of Gaza from rival Palestinian forces in 2007. An informal truce came about after regional powers and international actors influenced both entities.
Does Hamas have international support?
Hamas won majority seats in the Palestinian Parliament in 2006 and the government since, leading to cutting off of financial assistance from the UN, US, Russia and European Union after Hamas rejected conditions of non-violence and recognition of Israel as a State. Foreign support for Hamas is fragmented as some countries including Iran, Syria, Qatar and Turkey are known to be supportive, whilst the US, EU and Japan label them as terrorist organisation. New Zealand, UK and Australia are among the countries that only list the military wing as a terrorist organisation.