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Hamas, an acronym of its official name, Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya (Arabic: حركة المقاومة الإسلامية, romanized: Ḥarakat al-Muqāwamah al-ʾIslāmiyyah, lit. 'Islamic Resistance Movement'), is a Palestinian Sunni Islamist political and military movement governing the Israeli-occupied Gaza Strip since 2007.
- December 10, 1987; 35 years ago
- Muslim Brotherhood
- Fawzi Barhoum
Eye Opener: Judge clears court in Donald Trump's hush money trial
CBS News Videos2 hours agoA stunning day in former President Donald Trump's hush money trial: The judge clears the court over the behavior of a witness. Also, International Criminal Court prosecutors seek arrest warrants for leaders of Hamas and Israel, alleging war crimes. All that and all that matters in today's Eye Opener.
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- 01:35Eye Opener: Judge clears court in Donald Trump's hush money trialCBS News VideosA stunning day in former President Donald Trump's hush money trial: The judge clears the court over the behavior of a witness. Also, International Criminal Court prosecutors seek arrest warrants for leaders of Hamas and Israel, alleging war crimes. All that and all that matters in today's Eye Opener.2 hours ago
- 00:31ICC announcement 'deeply unhelpful' says UK's SunakReuters VideosSTORY: :: The UK's Prime Minister says the ICC prosecutor seeking arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders is 'unhelpful' :: May 21, 2024 :: Vienna, Austria Rishi Sunak, UK Prime Minister "Well, this is a deeply unhelpful development. Of course, it's still subject to a final decision, but it remains deeply unhelpful nonetheless. There is no moral equivalence between a democratic state exercising its lawful right to self-defence and the terrorist group Hamas. And it's wrong to conflate and, as I said, equivocate between those two different entities. And what I'm very clear (on) is that this will make absolutely no difference in getting a pause in the fighting, getting aid into the region, or indeed the hostages out." The ICC's prosecutor said on Monday (May 20) he had requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his defense chief and three Hamas leaders over alleged war crimes. ICC prosecutor Karim Khan said in a statement issued after more than seven months of war in Gaza that he had reasonable grounds to believe the five men "bear criminal responsibility" for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. A panel of pre-trial judges will determine whether the evidence supports the arrest warrants. But the court has no means to enforce such warrants, and its investigation into the Gaza war has been opposed by the United States and Israel. Israel and Palestinian leaders have dismissed allegations of war crimes, and representatives for both sides criticized Khan's decision.4 hours ago
- 02:22Biden defends Israel after ICC warrants requestReuters VideosSTORY: U.S. President Joe Biden strongly defended Israel on Monday after the International Criminal Court's prosecutor requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defense chief and three Hamas leaders over alleged war crimes. Biden was speaking at an event for Jewish American Heritage Month at the White House. “Let me be clear, we reject the ICC's application for arrest warrants against Israeli leaders. Whatever these warrants may imply, there is no equivalence between Israel and Hamas, and it's clear Israel wants to do all we can to ensure civilian protection. Let me be clear. Contrary to allegations against Israel made by the International Court of Justice, what's happening is not genocide." ICC prosecutor Karim Khan said in a statement issued after more than seven months of war in Gaza that he had reasonable grounds to believe the five men "bear criminal responsibility" for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. He said evidence his office collected showed Israel had systematically deprived civilians of "objects indispensable to human survival", including food, water, medicine and energy. Netanyahu on Monday called the charges ‘absurd’. “I reject with disgust the comparison of the prosecutor in the Hague between democratic Israel and the mass murderers of Hamas. This is a complete distortion of reality.” The Hamas leaders are accused of bearing responsibility for crimes committed by the militant group, including extermination and murder, the taking of hostages, torture, rape and other acts of sexual violence. Many Gazans were also angry over news of the warrants: "We are against this decision because they have equated the victim with the executioner. We have a right to our homeland. How can it be that those who resist and call for the liberation of their homeland become criminal? And the criminal become the protector?!" The ICC is the world's first permanent international war crimes court. It steps in only when a state is unwilling or genuinely unable to do so itself. Israel has said alleged war crimes in Gaza are being investigated domestically. It and key ally the United States are not members of the ICC, along with China and Russia.9 hours ago
- 00:47Biden denies 'genocide' happening in GazaReuters VideosSTORY: :: Biden says Israeli forces are not committing genocide in their campaign against Hamas :: “Contrary to allegations against Israel made by the International Court of Justice, what's happening is not genocide. We reject that and we'll always stand with Israel and the threats against its security." :: May 20, 2024 :: Washington, D.C. :: The US President spoke at a Jewish American Heritage Month event at the White House :: "We stand with Israel to take out Sinwar and the rest of the butchers of Hamas. We want Hamas defeated. We'll work with Israel to make that happen and consistent with Jewish values and compassion, kindness and dignity and human life. My team also is providing critical humanitarian assistance to help innocent Palestinian civilians who are suffering greatly because of the war Hamas has unleashed." In remarks at the White House event, Biden stressed his belief that Israel was the victim dating back to the Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel by Hamas militants who killed 1,200 people and took hundreds of hostages. He said U.S. support for the safety and security of Israelis is "ironclad." Negotiations have stalled between Israel and Hamas in trying to gain the freedom of sick, elderly and wounded hostages still held by the militants, but Biden vowed not to give up trying to gain their release.11 hours ago
- 01:07UN 'running out of words' to describe Gaza: officialReuters VideosSTORY: :: A UN official says they're 'running out of words' to describe Gaza's situation :: Edem Wosornu, Director of Operations and Advocacy, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs "We are running out of words to describe what is happening in Gaza. We have described it as a catastrophe, a nightmare, as hell on earth. It is all of these and worse." :: May 20, 2024 :: Meanwhile the Palestinian envoy insists the killing of civilians must stop :: Riyad Mansour, Palestinian UN envoy "Gaza will haunt the conscience of the world long after this genocide stops. And stop it must and it must now." :: Israel's envoy condemns ICC arrest warrants for top leaders that include Israel's Netanyahu :: Gilad Erdan, Israeli Ambassador to the UN "This morning, in an act of outrageous absurdity and moral bankruptcy, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court announced that he will seek arrest warrants for Israeli leaders and Hamas leaders. This is despicable. An unforgettable day on which an immoral equivalence is being made between a terror organization and the leaders of a vibrant democracy. This is a dark day for the international community and a dark day for international institutions." Food and medicine for Palestinians in Gaza are piling up in Egypt because the Rafah crossing remains closed and there has been no aid delivered to a U.N. warehouse from a U.S.-built pier for two days, U.N. officials warned on Monday. Israel is retaliating against Hamas in Gaza - an enclave of 2.3 million people - over a brutal Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian militants. Aid access into southern Gaza has been disrupted since Israel stepped up military operations in Rafah, a move that the U.N. says has forced 900,000 people to flee.13 hours ago
- 02:08Biden rebukes ICC for seeking arrest warrant for Israeli leadersCBS News VideosThe International Criminal Court's lead prosecutor is seeking arrest warrants for Hamas and Israeli leaders, including for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Both Israel and Hamas have separately denounced the charges, while President Biden was highly critical of the decision to include Israeli officials. CBS News' Imtiaz Tyab has details.14 hours ago
- 02:32Biden rebukes ICC request for Netanyahu arrest warrantCBS News VideosPresident Biden sharply criticized the request for a war crimes arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu along with the leaders of Hamas. The president called the move by the International Criminal Court "outrageous," saying there's no equivalence between Israel and the militant group. Imtiaz Tyab has details.15 hours ago
- 01:06Netanyahu condemns ICC war crimes prosecutor for seeking his arrest over Israel's actions in GazaAssociated Press VideosIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned the move by ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan to seek his arrest as an “outrageous decision” and "an attempt to deny Israel the basic right of self-defense." In his statement, Netanyahu also vowed to press ahead with Israel’s war against Hamas militants.19 hours ago
- 01:03ICC may seek more Israeli arrest warrants -analystReuters VideosSTORY: The International Criminal Court's prosecutor Karim Khan said on Monday he had requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his defense chief and three Hamas leaders over alleged war crimes. "It may later decide it wants to issue arrest warrants against other people, more people, we don't know. If the judges agree those arrest warrants should be issued, then those people should be handed over," said Nice, referring to the signatories to the ICC. Israel and Palestinian leaders have dismissed allegations of committing war crimes, and representatives of both sides criticized Khan's decision.21 hours ago
- 02:59ICC prosecutor seeks arrest warrants for Israeli, Hamas leadersReuters VideosSTORY: The International Criminal Court's prosecutor has requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his defense chief Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders over alleged war crimes. ICC prosecutor Karim Khan said in a statement on Monday that he had reasonable grounds to believe that all "bear criminal responsibility" for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Hamas leaders' arrest warrants were for the group's chief Yahya Sinwar; Mohammed Al-Masri, the commander-in-chief of its military wing, and Ismail Haniyeh, head of its Political Bureau. "Those who do not comply with the law should not complain later when my office takes action based on solid evidence. That day has come. Today, we underline in the clearest possible fashion that international law and the laws of armed conflict apply to everyone. No foot soldier, no commander, no civilian leader - no one - can act with impunity." Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz said accepting the ICC prosecutors' decision, quote, "would harm the ability of any country to defend its citizens and will constitute a crime of historic proportion." Gallant and Netanyahu have overseen Israel's offensive against Hamas in Gaza since the Palestinian militant group's deadly October 7 raid on Israel. Some 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 taken hostage in the rampage, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, at least 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war in Gaza, according to the enclave's health ministry. And aid agencies have also warned of widespread hunger, a risk of famine, and dire shortages of fuel and medical supplies. Israeli and Palestinian leaders have both previously dismissed allegations of committing war crimes. Khan said evidence collected by his office showed Israel had systematically deprived civilians of "objects indispensable to human survival," including restricting food, water, medicine and energy. Netanyahu and Gallant bore responsibility, he said, for Israel wilfully causing great suffering and for killing as a war crime. The Hamas leaders face allegations of bearing responsibility for crimes committed by the militant group, including extermination and murder, the taking of hostages, torture, rape and other acts of sexual violence. It will now be up to a panel of pre-trial judges to determine whether the evidence from the ICC prosecutors' office supports the issuing of arrest warrants. The ICC's 124 member states are obliged to immediately arrest the wanted person if they are on a member state's territory. However, it has no means to enforce arrest warrants - and its investigation into the Gaza war has been opposed by the United States and Israel, neither of whom are members of the ICC.21 hours ago
- 01:58ICC prosecutor seeks arrest warrant for Israeli and Hamas leaders, including NetanyahuAssociated Press VideosKarim Khan said that he believes Netanyahu, his defense minister Yoav Gallant and three Hamas leaders — Yehia Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh — are responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip and Israel.23 hours ago
- 01:49ICC prosecutor seeks arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Hamas leaders for alleged war crimesCBS News VideosThe International Criminal Court is seeking arrest warrants against Israeli and Hamas leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The ICC's chief prosecutor says the leaders are responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza and Israel. Meanwhile, Netanyahu is facing pressure to come up with a post-war plan for Gaza. CBS News foreign correspondent Imtiaz Tyab has more.1 day ago
- 02:17ICC prosecutor seeks arrest warrants for Israeli PM, Hamas leadersReuters VideosSTORY: :: The Hague, the Netherlands :: May 20, 2024 Karim Khan, ICC prosecutor "I can also confirm today that I have reasonable grounds to believe, on the basis of evidence collected and examined by my office, that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant bear criminal responsibility for the following international crimes committed on the territory of the state of Palestine from at least the 8th of October 2023. The crimes include starvation of civilians as a method of warfare, wilfully causing great suffering, serious injury to body or health, or cruel treatment, wilful killing or murder and intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population; as well as crimes against humanity of extermination and/or murder, persecution and allegation of crimes committing other inhumane acts." "I have reasonable grounds to believe the three senior leaders of Hamas - Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Diab (Al-Masri) and Ismail Haniyeh - bear criminal responsibility for the following international crimes committed on the territory of Israel and the state of Palestine from at least the 7th of October 2023: extermination as a crime against humanity, murder as a crime against humanity and as a war crime, the taking of hostages as a war crime, rape and other acts of sexual violence during captivity as crimes against humanity and as war crimes, torture during captivity as a crime against humanity and as a war crime, other inhumane acts during captivity as a crime against humanity, cruel treatment during captivity as a warcrime, and outrageous upon personal dignity during captivity as a war crime." Prosecutor Karim Khan's office said it suspected all five - Netanyahu, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Al-Masri and Ismail Haniyeh - bore criminal responsibility for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Israel or the Gaza Strip. Israel has denied committing war crimes in the Gaza war, triggered by the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7. The ICC's decision "equates the victim with the executioner," a senior Hamas official told Reuters. It will be up to the court's pre-trial judges to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to issue warrants.1 day ago
- 01:43Biden calls Israel-Hamas war 'heartbreaking', says Gaza is in a 'humanitarian crisis'Yahoo News VideoSpeaking at the commencement at Morehouse College on Sunday, President Biden said, "What’s happening in Gaza and Israel is heartbreaking." Biden also called the situation in Gaza a "humanitarian crisis."1 day ago
- 00:50Drone shows Israelis marching to protest NetanyahuReuters VideosSTORY: :: Drone footage shows Israelis marching to Jerusalem to protest against Netanyahu's government :: March 20, 2024 :: Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway, Israel Israeli police said they had detained several protesters on suspicion of attempting to block the road. They were taken for questioning. Protesters are set to join others outside Israel's parliament, the Knesset, as the summer session begins later on Monday. Anger has mounted in Israel against Netanyahu's government, with weekly demonstrations calling for a deal to bring hostages back, and for Netanyahu's resignation over criticism of his handling of the war against Hamas in Gaza.1 day ago
- 02:15Iran's president Raisi killed in helicopter crashReuters VideosSTORY: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his foreign minister were killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday. The charred wreckage of the aircraft was found early on Monday after an overnight search. Raisi's death was confirmed by Iran's vice president on X, and on state television. A senior Iranian official told Reuters "President Raisi, the foreign minister and all the passengers in the helicopter were killed in the crash." Rescue teams fought blizzards and difficult terrain through the night to reach the crash site in East Azerbaijan province in the early hours of Monday. Raisi had been at the Azerbaijani border to inaugurate a joint dam project. There has been no official word yet on the cause of the crash. State TV halted regular programming on Sunday to show prayers for Raisi being held across the country. The 63-year-old was elected president in 2021. Since taking office Raisi had ordered a tightening of morality laws, overseen a bloody crackdown on anti-government protests and pushed hard in nuclear talks with world powers. Iran's dual political system is split between the clerical establishment and the government, and it is the supreme leader rather than the president who has the final say on all major policies. But for years many have seen Raisi as a strong contender to succeed his 85-year-old mentor, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has strongly endorsed Raisi's main policies. “I mean, I think a lot of people might celebrate or might be happy, but also a lot of people, I think naturally would be very worried as to, you know, the potential political instability and what it could have.” A contest to replace Raisi may already be in the works, according to Arash Azizi, an Iran political analyst at the Center for Middle East and Global Order. “We all expected a ferocious struggle for power to begin after Khamenei dies. It might have already begun with this incident.” The crash comes as Iran faces pressure over its nuclear programme, its military ties to Russia, and its connections to Hamas, which is fighting Israel in Gaza. Countries including China expressed concern over Raisi, while the White House said U.S. President Joe Biden had been briefed on the situation.1 day ago
- 01:08Father speaks at funeral held in Israel for Shani Louk, German-Israeli hostage killed by HamasAssociated Press VideosHundreds of mourners attended the funeral on Sunday of a German-Israeli hostage who was killed by Hamas, according to the Israeli military. (AP Video shot by Alon Bernstein)1 day ago
- 02:14Israel launches strikes across Gaza, US envoy in regionReuters VideosSTORY: Residents said Israeli planes and tanks pounded areas across the Gaza Strip on Sunday. Over two dozen Palestinians were killed in the enclave, most of them in a strike on a house in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip, according to Gaza health officials and Hamas. Abu Khaled Moenes lives near the house that was hit. “...the house was flattened to earth and the entire square around it, where we are, has been destroyed. We have martyrs, the entire house with everyone inside (has been killed). No one survived except a young boy aged eight or nine months." The strikes came as White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, amid U.S. calls for a more focused military campaign. Washington worries for the hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians sheltering in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. And has cited a need not just to evacuate them but also to ensure adequate alternative accommodation. Israel has been pushing into the city that it says is the last bastion of Hamas forces. For many, it was one of their few remaining places of refuge. Speaking to Reuters on Friday, Rafah resident Majid Omran said his family had fled, and returned to what was left of their home in the southern city of Khan Younis. "Across the Gaza strip there is no safety," he said. "We took our children, grandchildren and daughters and we came and lived above the rubble of our home. Because there is no place to take refuge here.” Israeli forces also pushed deeper into the narrow alleyways of Jabalia in northern Gaza overnight and into Sunday. The Israeli military has said its operations in Jabalia - the largest of Gaza's eight historic refugee camps - are precise and meant to stop Hamas from reestablishing its grip there. According to Israeli tallies, the Oct. 7 Hamas assault on Israel that sparked the war killed 1,200 people. More than 35,300 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes since then, according to the enclave's health ministry. Aid agencies have warned of widespread hunger in Gaza, and shortages of fuel and medical supplies.2 days ago
- 01:38Open: This is "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," May 19, 2024CBS News VideosThis week on "Face the Nation," Margaret Brennan speaks to former Defense Secretary Robert Gates about the war between Israel and Hamas, campus protests in the U.S. and the ongoing congressional debate on providing aid to Ukraine. Plus, Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova joins.2 days ago
- 01:00Smoke billows over Gaza as efforts to deliver desperately needed aid appear to falterAssociated Press VideosSmoke was seen rising over the Gaza Strip early on Sunday as the war between Israel and Hamas continued.2 days ago
- 00:31Protesters and Israeli police clash in Tel AvivReuters VideosSTORY: :: Israeli police scuffle with anti-government protesters blocking a highway in Tel Aviv :: May 18, 2024 Protesters had been calling for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to step down and trigger new elections, as well as for an immediate ceasefire in order to release the hostages held in Gaza since October 7. In the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 1,200 people died in Israel and 253 were taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies. About 125 people are still being held in Gaza.3 days ago
- 02:25Israel says it recovered bodies of 3 hostagesABC News VideosAll of them, Israel says, were killed during the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.3 days ago
- 00:19Israeli army video claims to show aid arriving in Gaza via pierReuters VideosSTORY: :: The Israeli army releases a video it says shows aid arriving in Gaza via a U.S.-built pier :: Israeli Army Handout :: Released May 18, 2024 :: Gaza :: The pier was pre-assembled at the Israeli port of Ashdod and moved to Gaza on Thursday Reuters verified the location of the footage based off the terrain layout and buildings which match satellite imagery of the area. This delivery takes place as Israel comes under growing global pressure to allow more supplies into the besieged coastal enclave, where it is at war with Palestinian militants Hamas and a famine looms. The temporary floating pier was pre-assembled at the Israeli port of Ashdod and moved into place on Thursday on the shore of Gaza, which lacks port infrastructure of its own. No U.S. troops went ashore, the Pentagon's Central Command said. The Hamas-run government media office in Gaza accused Washington of "trying to improve its ugly image" with the pier. In line with comments by the U.N., humanitarian groups and Washington itself, Hamas said the U.S. pier wasn't enough to meet the humanitarian needs and demanded greater aid shipments to the enclave by land.4 days ago
- 01:18Aid trucks begin moving through Gaza pier, US saysReuters VideosSTORY: :: DVIDS :: May 16, 2024 Aid trucks have started moving through a temporary U.S.-built pier off the Gaza Strip. Humanitarian assistance began moving ashore around 9 a.m. local time, the U.S. Central Command – or Centcom – said. The pier is an attempt to boost aid deliveries to the enclave, where hundreds of thousands face an acute humanitarian crisis amid Israel’s campaign against Hamas. The aid being delivered via the floating pier is the first to reach Gaza by sea in weeks. :: DVIDS :: May 16, 2024 It was pre-assembled at the Israeli port of Ashdod and moved into place this week. No U.S. troops went ashore, Centcom said. :: Larnaca, Cyprus :: May 8, 2024 The United Nations said it was finalizing plans to get aid in via the pier. :: May 16, 2024 But deputy U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq said land access is still the most effective way to get aid into Gaza. “...getting aid to people in need, into and across Gaza cannot and should not depend on a floating dock far from where needs are most acute.” It all comes as Israeli forces battled Hamas fighters in northern Gaza on Friday in some of the fiercest engagements since they returned to the area a week ago, while in the south militants attacked tanks massing around Rafah. :: May 16, 20244 days ago
- 04:29Protests threats for Biden's Morehouse commencement speechCBS News VideosPresident Biden is expected in Atlanta Friday to deliver the commencement address at Morehouse College's graduation, despite threats of protests over the Israel-Hamas war. CBS News' Nikole Killion breaks down the latest.4 days ago
Oct 13, 2023 · World Updated on Oct 13, 2023 11:08 AM EDT — Published on Oct 10, 2023 4:10 PM EDT. Hamas is an Islamist militant movement and one of the Palestinian territories’ two major political parties ...
- 6 min
- Kali Robinson, Council on Foreign Relations
Oct 7, 2023 · Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas have been at war since early October. It began when Hamas gunmen launched an unprecedented attack on Israel from Gaza - the deadliest in Israel's...
- Overview
- Formation and ideology
- Position on the peace process
- Political relations
Hamas, militant Palestinian nationalist and Islamist movement in the West Bank and Gaza Strip that is dedicated to the establishment of an independent Islamic state in historical Palestine. Founded in 1987, Hamas opposed the secular approach of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, rejected attempts to ced...
From the late 1970s, activists connected with the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood established a network of charities, clinics, and schools and became active in the territories (the Gaza Strip and West Bank) occupied by Israel after the 1967 Six-Day War. In Gaza they were active in many mosques, while their activities in the West Bank generally were limited to the universities. The Muslim Brotherhood’s activities in these areas were generally nonviolent, but a number of small groups in the occupied territories began to call for jihad, or holy war, against Israel. In December 1987, at the beginning of the Palestinian intifada (Arabic intifāḍah, “shaking off”) uprising against Israeli occupation, Hamas (which also is an Arabic word meaning “zeal”) was established by members of the Muslim Brotherhood and religious factions of the PLO, and the new organization quickly acquired a broad following. In its 1988 charter, Hamas maintained that Palestine is an Islamic homeland that can never be surrendered to non-Muslims and that waging holy war to wrest control of Palestine from Israel is a religious duty for Palestinian Muslims. This position brought it into conflict with the PLO, which in 1988 recognized Israel’s right to exist.
Hamas soon began to act independently of other Palestinian organizations, generating animosity between the group and its secular nationalist counterparts. Increasingly violent Hamas attacks on civilian and military targets impelled Israel to arrest a number of Hamas leaders in 1989, including Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the movement’s founder. In the years that followed, Hamas underwent reorganization to reinforce its command structure and locate key leaders out of Israel’s reach. A political bureau responsible for the organization’s international relations and fundraising was formed in Amman, Jordan, electing Khaled Meshaal as its head in 1996, and the group’s armed wing was reconstituted as the ʿIzz al-Dīn al-Qassām Forces.
Jordan expelled Hamas leaders from Amman in 1999, accusing them of having used their Jordanian offices as a command post for military activities in the West Bank and Gaza. In 2001 the political bureau established new headquarters in Damascus, Syria. It moved again in 2012, to Doha, Qatar, after leadership failed to support the Assad government in its crackdown on the Syrian uprising.
The United States designated Hamas a terrorist organization in 1997. The European Union added Hamas to its list of terrorist groups in 2003; it was removed amid legal challenges in 2018 and returned in 2021.
From its foundation, Hamas rejected negotiations that would cede any land. The group denounced the 1993 peace agreement between Israel and the PLO and, along with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) group, subsequently intensified its terror campaign using suicide bombers. The PLO and Israel responded with harsh security and punitive measures, although PLO chairman Yasser Arafat, seeking to include Hamas in the political process, appointed Hamas members to leadership positions in the Palestinian Authority (PA). The collapse of peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians in September 2000 led to an increase in violence that came to be known as the Aqṣā intifada. That conflict was marked by a degree of violence unseen in the first intifada, and Hamas activists further escalated their attacks on Israelis and engaged in a number of suicide bombings in Israel itself.
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In the years after the Aqṣā intifada, Hamas began to moderate its views toward the peace process. After more than a decade of rejecting the foundational principles of the PA, Hamas ran in the 2006 Palestinian legislative elections and subsequently participated in the PA, with indications that it would accept agreements between Israel and the PA. Since then, senior Hamas leaders have stated their willingness to support a two-state solution based on pre-1967 borders. In A Document of General Principles and Policies issued in 2017, the organization acknowledged “the establishment of a fully sovereign and independent Palestinian state, with Jerusalem as its capital along the lines of the 4th of June 1967, with the return of the refugees and the displaced to their homes from which they were expelled” as a “formula of national consensus.” But Hamas continued to reject the legitimacy of Israel, and hard-liners within the organization remained strident in their rhetoric. Months after one such hard-liner, Yahya Sinwar, became the local leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip (2017– ), he stated in a roundtable discussion with young Gazans: “Gone is the time in which Hamas discussed recognition of Israel. The discussion now is about when we will wipe out Israel.”
In early 2005 Mahmoud Abbas, president of the PA, and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon announced a suspension of hostilities as Israel prepared to withdraw troops from some Palestinian territories. After much negotiation, Hamas agreed to the cease-fire, although sporadic violence continued. Later that year Israel unilaterally dismantled settlements in and withdrew troops from the Gaza Strip (see Israel’s disengagement from Gaza).
In the 2006 elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council, Hamas won a surprise victory over Fatah, capturing the majority of seats. The two groups eventually formed a coalition government, with Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas as prime minister. Clashes between Hamas and Fatah forces in the Gaza Strip intensified, however, prompting Abbas to dissolve the Hamas-led government and declare a state of emergency in June 2007. Hamas was left in control of the Gaza Strip, while a Fatah-led emergency cabinet had control of the West Bank.
In April 2011 Hamas and Fatah officials announced that the two sides had reached a reconciliation agreement in negotiations mediated by Egypt. The agreement, signed in Cairo on May 4, called for the formation of an interim government to organize legislative and presidential elections. After months of negotiations over the leadership of the interim government, the two parties announced in February 2012 that they had selected Abbas for the post of interim president.
Hamas’s relations with the governments of Syria and Iran, two of its primary sources of support, were strained in 2011 when Meshaal and other Hamas figures in Damascus conspicuously avoided expressing support for a crackdown by Syrian armed forces against anti-government protesters inside the country. In early 2012 Hamas leaders left Syria for Egypt and Qatar and Meshaal then publicly declared Hamas’s support for the Syrian opposition. Iranian support for Hamas, which by some estimates had exceeded $200 million a year, was greatly reduced.
The Hamas government in the Gaza Strip, still struggling following the cutoff of Iranian aid, was placed under even greater financial strain in 2013 when the administration of Egyptian Pres. Mohamed Morsi, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, was overthrown and replaced by a military-led interim government hostile to Hamas. The new administration heavily restricted crossings at the border between Gaza and Egypt and shut down most of the smuggling tunnels that had been a major source of tax revenue for Hamas as well as a primary means of supplying a wide variety of goods to the Gaza Strip. By late 2013 Hamas was struggling to pay the wages of public sector employees in the Gaza Strip.
In April 2014 Hamas effectively renounced its governing role in the Gaza Strip by agreeing with Fatah to the formation of a new PA cabinet composed entirely of nonpartisan ministers. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the new agreement, accusing Fatah of seeking reconciliation with Hamas at the expense of a possible peace agreement with Israel. The new cabinet was sworn in on June 2 but was left unable to carry out the administration of the Gaza Strip. Hamas continued to administer the area, even forming an interim administrative committee in 2017. Later that year the PA began to take over, but, as it was unable to take full control, it cut its funding for the Gaza Strip in 2018 and imposed sanctions. Hamas sought to alleviate the blow through taxation, but the move to tax the already poverty-stricken population was unpopular and led to frequent protests. Funding from Qatar and the easing of some blockade restrictions by Israel brought some relief to the Gaza Strip.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Apr 18, 2024 · Hamas is an Islamist militant movement that has controlled the Gaza Strip for nearly two decades. It also violently rejects Israel’s existence.
- DictionaryHa·mas/häˈmäs/
- 1. a Palestinian Islamic movement founded in 1987 with the aim of establishing a Palestinian state incorporating present-day Israel and the West Bank. In 2006 Hamas defeated the more moderate Fatah in the elections for the Palestinian National Authority.
Oct 10, 2023 · Hamas' attack is a staggering failure for Israel's intelligence and security forces. The group has vowed to annihilate Israel and has been responsible for many suicide bombings and other deadly...
Oct 9, 2023 · The brazen attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel that began on Saturday will be seen as a turning point in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict with far-reaching repercussions,...