Hamas: Organization, Ideology, and Power in Gaza

Hamas, short for the Islamic Resistance Movement, was founded in 1987 during the First Intifada as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood. Sheikh Ahmed Yassin helped shape it as an Islamist alternative to the secular PLO, combining armed resistance with social service networks.

Hamas rejects Israel's legitimacy and frames armed struggle as resistance to occupation. Its original 1988 charter included openly antisemitic language, and while the movement revised parts of its political language in 2017, its core strategy remains rooted in confrontation rather than compromise.

The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades are Hamas's armed wing. They have developed a large rocket arsenal, anti-tank weapons, and an extensive tunnel network under Gaza, allowing the group to survive repeated rounds of fighting and to project force beyond the enclave.

Hamas has also built support through schools, clinics, orphan care, and welfare networks. That blend of governance and militancy helps explain why the movement retains a social base even as many Palestinians criticize its authoritarian rule and the destruction that follows its wars.