Hamas

Not to be confused with Hamaas.
For other uses, see Hamas (disambiguation).
"Islamic Resistance Movement" redirects here. For other uses, see Islamic Resistance (disambiguation).
For their military wing, often also referred to as just "Hamas" in Israeli sources, see Al-Qassam Brigades.

Islamic Resistance Movement
حركة المقاومة الإسلامية
Chairman of the Political BureauTemporary committee leadership (acting)[a][1][2]
Deputy Chairman of the Political BureauKhalil al-Hayya
Chairman of the Shura CouncilAbu Omar Hassan
Leader in the Gaza StripYahya Sinwar †
Military commanderMohammed Deif X[b]
Founder
... and others
FoundedDecember 10, 1987 (1987-12-10)
Split fromMuslim Brotherhood (disputed)
HeadquartersGaza City, Gaza Strip
Military wingIzz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades
Ideology
ReligionSunni Islam
International affiliationAxis of Resistance (informal)
Political allianceAlliance of Palestinian Forces
Colours  Green
Palestinian Legislative Council
74 / 132
Party flag
Website
hamasinfo.info
Al-Qassam Brigades
Dates of operation1987–present
HeadquartersGaza City, Gaza Strip
Size20,000–40,000[22][23]
Allies
State allies:
Non-state allies:
Opponents
State opponents:
Non-state opponents:
Battles and wars
Designated as a terrorist group by
List

The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas[i] (an Arabic acronym from Arabic: حركة المقاومة الإسلامية, romanized: Ḥarakat al-Muqāwamah al-ʾIslāmiyyah),[63][j] is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islamist[64] political organisation with a military wing called the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades. It has governed the Israeli-occupied Gaza Strip since 2007.[65][66]

The Hamas movement was founded by Palestinian Islamic scholar Ahmed Yassin in 1987, after the outbreak of the First Intifada against the Israeli occupation. It emerged from his 1973 Mujama al-Islamiya Islamic charity affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood.[67] In 2006 Palestinian legislative election, Hamas secured a majority in the Palestinian Legislative Council by campaigning on promises of a corruption-free government and advocating for resistance as a means to liberate Palestine from Israeli occupation.[68][69] In the Battle of Gaza (2007), Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip from rival Palestinian faction Fatah,[70][71] and has since governed the territory separately from the Palestinian National Authority. After Hamas's takeover, Israel significantly intensified existing movement restrictions and imposed a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip.[72] Egypt began its blockade of Gaza in 2007. This was followed by multiple wars with Israel, including those in 2008–09, 2012, 2014, 2021, and an ongoing one since 2023, which began with the 7 October Hamas-led attack on Israel.

Hamas has promoted Palestinian nationalism in an Islamic context.[73] While initially seeking a state in all of former Mandatory Palestine it began acquiescing to 1967 borders in the agreements it signed with Fatah in 2005, 2006 and 2007.[74][75][76] In 2017, Hamas released a new charter[77] that supported a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders without recognizing Israel.[78][79][80] Hamas's repeated offers of a truce (for a period of 10–100 years[81]) based on the 1967 borders are seen by many as being consistent with a two-state solution,[82][83] while others state that Hamas retains the long-term objective of establishing one state in former Mandatory Palestine.[84][85] While the 1988 Hamas charter was widely described as antisemitic,[86] Hamas's 2017 charter removed the antisemitic language and said Hamas's struggle was with Zionists, not Jews.[87][88][89][90] However, it has been debated whether this statement has reflected an actual change in policy.[91][92]

In terms of foreign policy, Hamas has historically sought out relations with Egypt,[93] Iran,[93] Qatar,[94] Saudi Arabia,[95] Syria[93] and Turkey;[96] some of its relations have been impacted by the Arab Spring.[97][clarification needed] Hamas and Israel have engaged in protracted armed conflict. Key aspects of the conflict include the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the status of Jerusalem, Israeli settlements, borders, water rights,[98] the permit regime, Palestinian freedom of movement,[99] and the Palestinian right of return. Hamas has attacked Israeli civilians, including using suicide bombings, as well as launching rockets at Israeli cities. A number of countries, including Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States have designated Hamas as a terrorist organization. In 2018, a motion at the United Nations to condemn Hamas was rejected.[k][101][102]


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

  1. ^ "Hamas to be temporarily led by five-member ruling committee". The Arab Weekly. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  2. ^ "Who will lead Hamas after killing of Yahya Sinwar?". BBC. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  3. ^ "New Evidence Suggests Death of Qassam Brigades Leader". Asharq Al-Awsat. 2 November 2024.
  4. ^ "Hamas denies martyrdom of its military leader Mohammed Deif". The Star. 3 November 2024.
  5. ^ Downs, Ray. "Hamas leader dead after 'accidental' gunshot to head". UPI. Archived from the original on 7 December 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  6. ^ Abdelal 2016, p. 122.
  7. ^ Dalloul 2017.
  8. ^ Abu-Amr 1993, p. 10.
  9. ^ Litvak 1998, p. 151.
  10. ^ Barzak 2011.
  11. ^ AFP 2019.
  12. ^ a b c Dalacoura 2012, pp. 66–67.
  13. ^ Gelvin 2014, p. 226: "As with Islamic political organizations elsewhere, Hamas offers its followers an ideology that appropriates the universal message of Islam for what is, in effect, a nationalist struggle."
  14. ^ Stepanova 2008, p. 113.
  15. ^ Cheema 2008, p. 465: "Hamas considers Palestine the main front of jihad and viewed the uprising as an Islamic way of fighting the Occupation. The organisation's leaders argued that Islam gave the Palestinian people the power to confront Israel and described the Intifada as the return of the masses to Islam. Since its inception, Hamas has tried to reconcile nationalism and Islam. [...] Hamas claims to speak as a nationalist movement but with an Islamic-nationalist rather than a secular nationalist agenda."
  16. ^ Litvak 2004, pp. 156–57: "Hamas is primarily a religious movement whose nationalist worldview is shaped by its religious ideology."
  17. ^ Klein, Menachem (2007). "Hamas in Power". Middle East Journal. 61 (3): 442–459. doi:10.3751/61.3.13. ISSN 0026-3141. JSTOR 4330419.
  18. ^ May, Tiffany (8 October 2023). "A Quick Look at Hamas". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  19. ^ Maqdsi, Muhammad. "Charter of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) of Palestine" (PDF). Palestine Studies. University of California Press. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 February 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  20. ^ Dunning 2016, p. 270.
  21. ^ Mišʿal, Šāʾûl; Sela, Avraham; Selaʿ, Avrāhām (2006). The Palestinian Hamas: vision, violence, and coexistence ; [with a new introduction]. New York: Columbia Univ. Press. ISBN 9780231116756. Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  22. ^ Nakhoul, Samia (16 October 2023). "How Hamas secretly built a 'mini-army' to fight Israel". Reuters. Archived from the original on 13 October 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  23. ^ "Gaza Strip". The World Factbook – CIA. 22 May 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  24. ^ "Adviser to Iran's Khamenei expresses support for Palestinian attacks: Report". Al Arabiya. AFP. 7 October 2023. Archived from the original on 7 October 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023 – via al-Arabiya.
  25. ^ a b Ehl, David (15 May 2021). "What is Hamas and who supports it?". Deutsche Welle. Archived from the original on 11 October 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  26. ^ a b "Experts Weigh in on Regional Impact of Syria-Hamas Rapprochement". VOA News. 20 October 2022. Archived from the original on 9 October 2023. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  27. ^ a b c Gidda, Mirren (25 July 2014). "Hamas Still Has Some Friends Left". Time. Archived from the original on 14 April 2019. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  28. ^ "Hamas leader to visit Turkey for talks with Erdogan". Reuters. 18 April 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  29. ^ "Hamas Chief Meets Turkish President, Considers Move from Qatar to Turkey". 22 April 2024.
  30. ^ "Erdogan defends Hamas, says members are being treated in Turkish hospitals". Reuters.
  31. ^ "NATO, Gaza, and the future of US-Turkish relations". 5 February 2024.
  32. ^ "Erdogan says 1,000 Hamas members treated in Turkey hospitals". 15 May 2024.
  33. ^ a b Kingsley, Patrick (26 July 2013). "Egyptian army questions Mohamed Morsi over alleged Hamas terror links". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 19 October 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  34. ^ a b Abdelaziz, Khalid; Eltahir, Nafisa; Irish, John (23 September 2021). "Sudan closes door on support for Hamas". Reuters. Archived from the original on 15 October 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  35. ^ a b Hyeon Choi, Seong (25 January 2024). "China denies providing weapons to Hamas in Israel-Gaza war". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  36. ^ Swan, Melanie (5 January 2024). "Hamas 'using massive stockpile of Chinese weaponry' in Gaza". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  37. ^ a b "Lawsuit accuses Iran, Syria and North Korea of providing support for Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel". Associated Press News. July 2024.
  38. ^ Kim, Ellen; Bah, Salamata (27 March 2024). "The DPRK-Hamas Relationship". Center for Strategic and International Studies.
  39. ^ a b c Mirovalev, Mansur (14 November 2023). "Unverified rumours of Russia arming Hamas persist, as war rages in Gaza". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  40. ^ Meyers, Steven Lee; Frenkel, Sheera (3 November 2023). "In a Worldwide War of Words, Russia, China and Iran Back Hamas". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  41. ^ "Iran Update, October 17, 2023". Institute for the Study of War. 17 October 2023. Archived from the original on 19 October 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  42. ^ Team, Flashpoint Intel (18 October 2023). "Beyond Hamas: Militant and Terrorist Groups Involved in the October 7 Attack on Israel". Flashpoint Intel. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  43. ^ "Houthis, Hamas merge diplomacy around prisoner releases – Al-Monitor: Independent, trusted coverage of the Middle East". Al-Monitor. 5 January 2021. Archived from the original on 21 October 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  44. ^ "Hamas awards 'Shield of Honor' to Houthi representative in Yemen, sparking outrage in Saudi Arabia". JNS.org. 16 June 2021. Archived from the original on 24 February 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  45. ^ "Qassam Brigades announces control of 'Erez Crossing'". Roya News. 7 October 2023. Archived from the original on 7 October 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  46. ^ Fabian, Emanuel. "Officer, 2 soldiers killed in clash with terrorists on Lebanon border; mortars fired". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 9 October 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  47. ^ "الجبهة الشعبية: قرار الإدارة الأمريكية بتوفير الدعم للكيان هدفه تطويق النتائج الاستراتيجية لمعركة طوفان الأقصى". alahednews.com.lb (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 9 October 2023. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  48. ^ Fabian, Emanuel (19 October 2023). "IDF says it killed head of military wing of Gaza's Popular Resistance Committees". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 19 October 2023. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  49. ^ "How the US became Israel's closest ally". 13 October 2023. Archived from the original on 4 November 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  50. ^ "What Effect ISIS' Declaration Of War Against Hamas Could Have In The Middle East". NPR. Archived from the original on 7 March 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  51. ^ AFP. "Hamas arrests Salafi sheikh over alleged Islamic State ties – Radical cleric Adnan Khader Mayat detained on Sunday by Gaza security forces". Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 9 November 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  52. ^ "El gobierno argentino incluirá al grupo Hamás en la lista de organizaciones terroristas – frente a Cano". Archived from the original on 25 December 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  53. ^ "Entirety of Hamas to be listed as a terrorist organisation". ABC News. 17 February 2022. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  54. ^ "Currently listed entities". 21 December 2018. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  55. ^ Boffey, Daniel (26 July 2017). "EU court upholds Hamas terror listing". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 26 July 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  56. ^ "Fighting terrorism". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  57. ^ "NZ designates all of Hamas a terrorist entity". 1News. 29 February 2024. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  58. ^ "Paraguay adds Hamas, Hezbollah to terrorism list". 20 August 2019. Archived from the original on 20 August 2019. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  59. ^ "Proscribed terrorist groups or organisations". GOV.UK. Archived from the original on 19 July 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  60. ^ "Foreign Terrorist Organizations". Archived from the original on 27 February 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  61. ^ "Hamas, n. meanings, etymology and more". Oxford English Dictionary.
  62. ^ Taraki, Lisa (January–February 1989). "The Islamic Resistance Movement in the Palestinian Uprising". Middle East Report. No. 156. Tacoma, WA: MERIP. pp. 30–32. doi:10.2307/3012813. ISSN 0899-2851. JSTOR 3012813. OCLC 615545050. Archived from the original on 1 February 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  63. ^ "HAMAS". National Counterterrorism Center. Director of National Intelligence#Office of the Director of National Intelligence. September 2022. Archived from the original on 1 November 2023. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  64. ^ Lopez, Anthony; Ireland, Carol; Ireland, Jane; Lewis, Michael (2020). The Handbook of Collective Violence: Current Developments and Understanding. Taylor & Francis. p. 239. ISBN 9780429588952. The most successful radical Sunni Islamist group has been Hamas, which began as a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in Palestine in the early 1980s. It used terrorist attacks against civilians - particularly suicide bombings – to help build a larger movement, going so far as to emerge as the recognized government of the Gaza Strip in the Palestine Authority.
  65. ^ Kear 2018, p. 22.
  66. ^ "What is Hamas? A simple guide to the armed Palestinian group". Al Jazeera. 8 October 2023. Archived from the original on 8 October 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  67. ^ Higgins, Andrew (24 January 2009). "How Israel Helped to Spawn Hamas". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 26 September 2009. Retrieved 25 January 2023. When Israel first encountered Islamists in Gaza in the 1970s and '80s, they seemed focused on studying the Quran, not on confrontation with Israel. The Israeli government officially recognized a precursor to Hamas called Mujama Al-Islamiya, registering the group as a charity. It allowed Mujama members to set up an Islamic university and build mosques, clubs and schools. Crucially, Israel often stood aside when the Islamists and their secular left-wing Palestinian rivals battled, sometimes violently, for influence in both Gaza and the West Bank. 'When I look back at the chain of events I think we made a mistake,' says David Hacham, who worked in Gaza in the late 1980s and early '90s as an Arab-affairs expert in the Israeli military. 'But at the time nobody thought about the possible results.' Israeli officials who served in Gaza disagree on how much their own actions may have contributed to the rise of Hamas. They blame the group's recent ascent on outsiders, primarily Iran. This view is shared by the Israeli government. 'Hamas in Gaza was built by Iran as a foundation for power, and is backed through funding, through training and through the provision of advanced weapons,' Mr. Olmert said last Saturday. Hamas has denied receiving military assistance from Iran.
  68. ^ "Hamas wins huge majority". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  69. ^ McGreal, Chris (27 January 2006). "Hamas faces unexpected challenge: how to deal with power". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  70. ^ Davis 2017, pp. 67–69.
  71. ^ Mukhimer 2012, pp. vii, 58.
  72. ^ "The Gaza Strip | The humanitarian impact of 15 years of blockade – June 2022". Archived from the original on 9 April 2024. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  73. ^ Gelvin 2014, p. 226
  74. ^ Seurat 2019, pp. 17–19: "Indeed, since 2006, Hamas has unceasingly highlighted its acceptance of the 1967 borders, as well as accords signed by the PLO and Israel. This position has been an integral part of reconciliation agreements between Hamas and Fatah since 2005: the Cairo Agreement in 2005, the Prisoners' Document in 2006, the Mecca Agreement in 2007 and finally the Cairo and Doha Agreements in 2011 and 2012."
  75. ^ *Baconi 2018, pp. 114–116: "["Prisoners' Document"] enshrined many issues that had already been settled, including statehood on the 1967 borders; UN Resolution 194 for the right of return; and the right to resist within the occupied territories...This agreement was in essence a key text that offered a platform for unity between Hamas and Fatah within internationally defined principles animating the Palestinian struggle." *Roy 2013, p. 210: "Khaled Meshal, as chief of Hamas's Political Bureau in Damascus, as well as Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniyeh similarly confirmed the organization's willingness to accept the June 4, 1967, borders and a two-state solution should Israel withdraw from the occupied territories, a reality reaffirmed in the 2006 Palestinian Prisoners' Document, in which most major Palestinian factions had reached a consensus on a two-state solution, that is, a Palestinian state within 1967 borders including East Jerusalem and the refugee right of return."
  76. ^ Baconi 2018, pp. 82: "The Cairo Declaration formalized what Hamas's military disposition throughout the Second Intifada had alluded to: that the movement's immediate political goals were informed by the desire to create a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders."
  77. ^ "Hamas accepts Palestinian state with 1967 borders: Khaled Meshaal presents a new document in which Hamas accepts 1967 borders without recognising state of Israel Gaza". Al Jazeera. 2 May 2017.
  78. ^ Sources that believe that Hamas' 2017 charter accepted the 1967 borders:
  79. ^ "What does Israel's declaration of war mean for Palestinians in Gaza?". Al Jazeera. 9 October 2023.
  80. ^ "What will the Israeli-Palestinian conflict look like in 30 years?". The Jerusalem Post. 22 September 2023. Even Hamas in 2017 said it was ready to accept a Palestinian state with 1967 borders if it is clear this is the consensus of the Palestinians.
  81. ^ Cite error: The named reference atran was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  82. ^
    • Halim Rane (2009). Reconstructing Jihad Amid Competing International Norms. p. 34. Asher Susser, director of the Dayan Centre at Tel Aviv University, conveyed to me in an interview that "Hamas' 'hudna' is not significantly different from Sharon's 'long-term interim agreement." Similarly, Daniel Levy, a senior Israeli official for the Geneva Initiative (GI), informed me that certain Hamas officials find the GI acceptable, but due to the concerns about their Islamically oriented constituency and their own Islamic identity, they would "have to express the final result in terms of a "hudna," or "indefinite" ceasefire," rather than a formal peace agreement."
    • Loren D. Lybarger (2020). Palestinian Chicago. University of California Press. p. 199. Hamas too would signal a willingness to accept a long-term "hudna" (cessation of hostilities, truce) along the armistice lines of 1948 (an effective acceptance of the two-state formula).
    • Tristan Dunning (2016). Hamas, Jihad and Popular Legitimacy. Routledge. pp. 179–180.
  83. ^ Baconi 2018, p. 108: "Hamas's finance minister in Gaza stated that 'a long-term ceasefire as understood by Hamas and a two-state settlement are the same. It's just a question of vocabulary.'"
  84. ^ Cite error: The named reference Alsoos was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  85. ^ Faeq, Nasir; Jahnata, Diego (2020). "The Historical Antecedents of Hamas". International Journal of Social Science Research and Review. 3 (3): 33. doi:10.47814/ijssrr.v3i3.49. ISSN 2700-2497. S2CID 234607095.
  86. ^ Qossay Hamed (2023). Hamas in Power: The Question of Transformation. IGI Global. p. 161.
  87. ^ Seurat 2019, p. 17.
  88. ^ Amira, Hass (3 May 2017). "Why Hamas' New Charter Is Aimed at Palestinians, Not Israelis". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 23 April 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  89. ^ Cite error: The named reference auto6 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  90. ^ Cite error: The named reference auto5 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  91. ^ "Don't be fooled by Hamas' rebranding". CNN. 2 May 2017.
  92. ^ https://www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-rewriting-charter-without-anti-semitism-claims-official-but-still-rejects-israel/
  93. ^ a b c Seurat 2022, p. 88.
  94. ^ Baconi 2018, p. 181.
  95. ^ Samuel Ramani (1 September 2015). "Hamas's Pivot to Saudi Arabia". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
  96. ^ Seurat 2022, p. 254.
  97. ^ Seurat 2022, p. 115,214.
  98. ^ "Canadian Policy on Key Issues in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict". Government of Canada. Archived from the original on 18 February 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2010.
  99. ^ "Movement and Access Restrictions in the West Bank: Uncertainty and Inefficiency in the Palestinian Economy" (PDF). World Bank. 9 May 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 April 2010. Retrieved 29 March 2010. Currently, freedom of movement and access for Palestinians within the West Bank is the exception rather than the norm contrary to the commitments undertaken in a number of Agreements between GOI and the PA. In particular, both the Oslo Accords and the Road Map were based on the principle that normal Palestinian economic and social life would be unimpeded by restrictions
  100. ^ DW 2018.
  101. ^ Dupret, Baudouin; Lynch, Michael; Berard, Tim (2015). Law at Work: Studies in Legal Ethnomethods. Oxford University Press. p. 279. ISBN 9780190210243. [It has been alleged that] Hamas cynically abuses its own civilian population and their suffering for propaganda purposes.
  102. ^ "UN rejects US motion to condemn Hamas – DW – 12/07/2018". dw.com. Retrieved 5 August 2024.