Hamas

**Hamas** (), an acronym of its official name, **Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya** (, <small>lit. </small>"Islamic Resistance Movement"), is a reactionary Palestinian Sunni Islamist political movement in Gaza.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas took the lead in a series of attacks on Israel, seen by some scholars as the worst massacre of Jews since the end of the Holocaust. Under the 2025 Gaza war ceasefire, Hamas is supposed to keep the Gaza Strip as the IDF withdrew. It has a history of terrorism and alleged antisemitism.

## Name

_Hamas_ is an acronym of the Arabic phrase , or **Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya** or "Islamic Resistance Movement".

## History

Hamas was started in 1987 by Ahmed Yassin and Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi after the beginning of the First Uprising against Israeli violence and occupation. It started as the Gaza branch of the Muslim Brotherhood organization in Egypt. In the 2006 legislative election, the party received 74 out of 132 seats in parliament by campaigning on clean government without corruption and affirming Palestinians' right to defend against Israeli occupation.

## Ideas

The party has supported the reestablishment of the Land of Palestine in all historic land, which includes the West Bank, Gaza, and the State of Israel. The 2017 Hamas Charter stated that the party's struggle was with Zionists and Israeli terrorists. In 2018, the United Nations voted to reject an American claim to condemn Hamas. Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told the Reuters news agency, "Rejecting the American drafted resolution against the resistance represents a blow to the American administration and reaffirms the legitimacy of the resistance."

### Violence

Because of its history of suicide bombings and rocket strikes on civilians in Israel, the United States, European Union and several countries call it a terrorist organisation. Particularly, Jordan has banned the group.

### Allegations of Antisemitism

Scholar Esther Webman has said antisemitic rhetoric is frequently found in Hamas leaflets, which tend to equate Jews with Zionists to incite terrorism against Jews.

The Hamas' Charter frames the group's raison d'être as being "against the Jews [...] Israel, Jews and Judaism [are a] challenge to Islam and the Moslem people" and makes it clear that

The Hamas' Charter also blames the Freemasons, French Revolution, Russian Revolution, WWI and WWII on a "Jewish Zionist conspiracy." In August 2003, senior Hamas official Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rantisi wrote in the Hamas newspaper _Al-Risala:_

In August 2009, Hamas forbade Palestinian children from studying the Holocaust, demonized by the Hamas as "a lie invented by the Zionists."

## Election

In early 2006, Hamas won a clear victory in the vote for the Palestinian legislative election. Voters saw Hamas as an alternative to exchange the long-ruling Fatah party, the main part of the PLO. This was due to how Fatah had not improved the Palestinian people's conditions and instead allegedly worsened conditions by corruption. There have been no elections since 2006.

## Support

As of 2021, Qatar had given $1.8 billion in support to Hamas.
Iran provides up to $100 million per year to Palestinian groups, including Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and PFLP-GC.

## Local work

Hamas has shown its organizational ability by building health, education, and social services to help the population in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, where there are many poor people. Their efforts ended up increasing support to Hamas. In the first half of 2007, Hamas gained political control of the Gaza Strip, while Fatah keeps its headquarters in the West Bank.

## Infobox (political party)

- **country**: Palestine
- **name**: Haraka Hamas
- **native name**: حَرَكَةُ حَمَاسَ
- **leader1 title**: Chief of the Political Bureau
- **leader3 title**: Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority
- **leader3 name**: Ismail Haniyeh
- **leader4 title**: Foreign Minister
- **leader4 name**: Mahmoud Zahar
- **foundation**: 1987
- **founder**: Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi and Mahmoud Zahar
- **position**: Right-wing
- **religion**: Islam (Sunni Islam, Sunni)
- **student wing**: Islamic Bloc
- **headquarters**: Gaza City, Gaza Strip
- **international**: Axis of Resistance
- **flag**: Flag of al-Qassam Brigades.svg


## Infobox (war faction)

- **leaders**: Yahya Sinwar
- **allies**: **State allies:**

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*  (2011–13)
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*  (2019 Sudanese coup d'état, until 2019, occasionally since 2023)
*  Ba'athist Syria (until 2011, occasionally since 2022)
*  (partly)
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**Non-state allies:**

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*  Houthi Movement, Houthis
*  Polisario Front
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*  Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, PFLP
*  Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, DFLP
* Lions' Den
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*  al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades
*  Popular Resistance Committees
*  Al-Farouq Brigades in Sinai
- **opponents**: **State opponents** (in alphabetical order):
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**Non-state opponents:**
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*  al-Qaeda