Hananya Naftali
Mar 19, 2023
Hamas Explained
The Short Answer
Hamas is a Palestinian Islamist terrorist organization founded in 1987 as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood. Its name is an Arabic acronym for the Islamic Resistance Movement. Its founding charter calls for the destruction of Israel. Hamas seized Gaza by force in 2007 and carried out the October 7, 2023 massacre. The US, EU, UK and Canada list it as a terrorist group.
What Hamas Wants
Hamas rejects Israel's right to exist and calls for an Islamic state from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. Its 1988 charter quotes a religious tradition calling on Muslims to kill Jews.
Hamas has carried out suicide bombings, fired thousands of rockets at Israeli cities and built hundreds of kilometers of tunnels under Gaza's homes, schools and hospitals.
October 7 and After
On October 7, 2023, Hamas murdered about 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped 251 hostages, the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust. Its leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar were killed in 2024. Read the full guide: Hamas: The Full Israel 101 Guide
Key Facts
Hamas was founded in 1987 as part of the Muslim Brotherhood.
It took over Gaza by force in 2007 and has held no elections since.
It carried out the October 7 massacre.
Western governments list it as a terrorist organization.