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Hamas and Gaza

background

Hamas (Arabic for "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Islamist paramilitary and sociopolitical organization created in 1987 as an outgrowth of the Sunni Muslim Brotherhood. Based primarily in Gaza, Hamas and its cells have carried out numerous terrorist attacks on civilians to further their goal of the destruction of the State of Israel and the establishment an Islamic state in its place. Hamas maintains power both through intimidation and by providing social services such as hospitals, schools, and financial support. Meanwhile, the organization receives assistance, training, and weapons from other Arab, Islamic, and international organizations, including Iran, Syria, and the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah. Hamas routinely uses human shields in its fight against Israel and mourned the death of Osama bin Laden.

Following Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005, Hamas won the majority of seats in the parliamentary elections in 2006. In 2007, Hamas seized control of Gaza after staging a bloody coup against Palestinian Authority (PA). However, in May 2011, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and PA President Mahmoud Abbas agreed to form a unity government.

key points

Hamas is recognized as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, Israel, and Canada.

• Hamas has killed hundreds of innocent civilians in terrorist attacks. Hamas has fired over 10,000 rockets into nearby Israeli towns and cities since 2001. Hamas and other terrorist cells have stepped up mortar/rocket attacks in 2011, including an attack on a school bus that killed a 16 year-old boy.
• Iran is a major sponsor of Hamas. Despite the Sunni-Shi’a ideological difference, Iran provides nearly $30 million per year to the Gaza terrorist organization, and continues to smuggle missiles and ammunitions into the district.
• Hamas continues to hold kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit captive. Since Hamas terrorists kidnapped Shalit in June 2006, he has been held in isolation and denied access to humanitarian aid, including the Red Cross. This is in direct violation of the Third Geneva Convention.
• Hamas defies the demands of the Quartet and the international community. In compliance with its 1988 charter, Hamas refuses to recognize Israel’s right to exist, renounce violence, and abide by historical Israeli-Palestinian agreements. The Hamas charter is full of anti-Semitism and racism and continues to explicitly call for the destruction of Israel through jihad.

download

ISSUE BRIEF: Hamas and Gaza (PDF), 8/3/2011