Introduction
Sometimes around December 1987, a new Islamist group called Hamas was formed in the Gaza Strip. Hamas, which stands for the Islamic Resistance Movement against the state of Israel, began as a part of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. However, it quickly became one of the Middle East’s most influential and controversial groups.
Over the years, this group called Hamas grew from a small group into a powerful governing force. By 2007, Hamas took control of Gaza and began to challenge both Israel and the secular Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO). This combination of armed resistance, religious beliefs, and social support attracted many Palestinian followers. However, it also sparked wars, led to international isolation, and raised a big question: Is Hamas a liberation movement, a terrorist group, or both?
Therefore, this article will delve into how Hamas was created, how it rose to power during the Intifada, and its role in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. We will explore its ideas, major conflicts, and the global alliances shaping Gaza’s future.
Origins and founding of Hamas
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict’s broader historical context is necessary to understand Hamas’s formation. After the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel occupied the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, leading to widespread discontent among Palestinians.
The word Hamas stands for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya, which means Islamic Resistance Movement. It emerged during the First Intifada, a major Palestinian uprising against Israeli control that began in December 1987.
This uprising arose from long-standing frustrations of some of the Palestinians with Israeli rule in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, along with issues like high unemployment, restricted movement, and a lack of political representation, which led many Palestinians to lose faith in the existing leadership.
Roots in the Muslim Brotherhood
Hamas started as a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, an influential Islamist group with deep roots in Palestinian society. Its popularity comes mainly from its social welfare programs, educational efforts, and religious guidance.
The early leaders included Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, a well-respected priest and a symbol of resistance despite using a wheelchair. He and leaders like Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi and Mahmoud Zahar helped organise support for the movement.
The 1988 Charter and Its Controversies
Yassin effectively used the resources of the Muslim Brotherhood, such as mosques and schools, to engage people. He blended Palestinian nationalism with Islamic beliefs, portraying the fight against Israeli occupation as a religious obligation. This approach appealed to many who were disillusioned with the secular Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and its leader, Yasser Arafat.
So, in 1988, Hamas released its charter, outlining the group’s beliefs. This document called for the establishment of an Islamic state over all historic Palestine and rejected Israel’s legitimacy.
Also, it emphasized jihad, not just in military terms but also spiritually. However, the charter was controversial due to its anti-Semitic language, which faced criticism internationally but was accepted by some in the Palestinian community.
Opposition to the PLO and the Rise of Rivalries
Hamas opposed the PLO and its leading faction, Fatah. While the PLO, under Arafat, was leaning towards secular nationalism and peace talks, including the Oslo Accords in the 1990s, Hamas rejected any compromises. They viewed the PLO’s negotiations as a betrayal of Palestinian rights. While Fatah sought statehood through diplomacy, Hamas chose to focus more on violence and governance based on Islamic principles. This rivalry within Palestinian politics intensified in the years that followed.
Hamas’ Military and Political Growth
The main characteristic attributed to the transformation of Hamas into a ruling party is the strategically implanted and politically opportunistic violence. It was so notorious in the 1990s when it carried out its suicide bombings against Israeli civilians that it intended to scuttle the Oslo Accords, to which it objected as a concession of Palestinian rights. These attacks, such as the 1996 bombings in Jerusalem, strengthened the myth of Hamas as a militant group but angered the international players.
The Role of the Second Intifada (2000–2005)
Later, Hamas was strengthened in the Second Intifada (2000-2005). The uprising was sparked off by the visit of Ariel Sharon, who visited the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and Hamas subsequently increased its attacks, complementing the suicide attacks with rocket attacks originating in Gaza. The sophistication of its military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, was growing as it earned the local support of defying the Israeli occupation. Contrary to Fatah, which was discredited by corruption and poor governance, the fact that Hamas exerted a disciplined structure and social services made it stronger at the grassroots level.
Electoral Victory and Rise to Power (2006)
In 2006, Hamas had an impressive triumph in the Palestinian parliamentary elections, obtaining 74 of the 132 seats. Its success was due to the frustrations with the failure of Fatah, the anti-corruption pledge of Hamas, and the reputation of being a resistance group. However, the results were not accepted by the Western powers, Israel, and Fatah, causing the power to be sanctioned and isolated.
Relations with Fatah led to the Gaza takeover in 2007 when Hamas forced out the Fatah forces, taking complete control over the Gaza Strip. This rift formed a divide in the Palestinian polity, where Fatah controlled the West Bank and Hamas controlled Gaza.
Governance in Gaza
The Hamas rule in Gaza was based on accumulating power, sustaining the military equipment, and delivering social services despite the blockade by Israel. Less successful in pursuing an international diplomatic terrain, however, was its refusal to denounce violence or acknowledge the State of Israel, which effectively locked it into a dual nature as a governmental system and resistance movement.
Hamas’ Regional and International Influence
Hamas is also influential in the region through the strategic alliance with Iran and Hezbollah, among other Islamist movements. Iran ranks as one of the prominent supporters that contribute funding, weapons, as well as know-how to the military wing of Hamas since the 1990s.
This aid increased even during the Second Intifada, and it remained so during the Gaza conflicts, as Iran provided rockets and technical assistance. Hezbollah, a Lebanese ally of Iran, was involved with Hamas retaliation and exchanged strategies and a sense of unity among anti-Israel militants.
Support from Qatar and Turkey
Although Qatar and Turkey have given financial and diplomatic assistance, especially since the 2006 Hamas election victory, based on the reconstruction and humanitarian aid, Qatar has financially assisted Hamas to remain in control of Gaza.
Nevertheless, these unions take a realistic standpoint; the Sunni Islamist ideology of Hamas is sometimes in conflict with the Shiite agenda of Iran, which is the reason minor conflicts arise at times.
Western Perception and Diplomatic Isolation
Meanwhile, Western countries such as the U.S and the EU consider Hamas a terrorist group because of suicide bombings and rocket launches. The exact classification of Israel explains its military actions and its blockade of Gaza. These taggings have isolated Hamas diplomatically; hence, its chances of participating in international forums are slim.
Shifting Political Strategies and Search for Legitimacy
As time goes by, Hamas has been politically flexible. It diluted its rhetoric, giving a 2017 policy document that implied a Palestinian state on the 1967 boundaries, but did not mention the right of Israel. This move was an attempt to widen its popularity and be on par with regional players such as Egypt, which mediates Gaza ceasefires. However, the problem of its adherence to the armed struggle is also one of the fundamental barriers to international legitimacy.
Hamas Today and Future Challenges
Recent Conflicts: Gaza Wars of 2021 and 2023–24
Despite the rise to power, a series of conflicts and rule issues have shaped Hamas’s role in the 2020s, showing the complexities of its position between Gaza and the rest of the area. By logic, the Gaza War of 2021 began amidst rising tensions near Jerusalem over the Al Aqsa Mosque, which holds great historical and religious significance.
In response to threats and provocations, Hamas fired thousands of rockets at various locations in Israel. This led to a major Israeli air campaign that caused extensive destruction in Gaza and a significant loss of life. While this situation demonstrated Hamas’s military strength, it also revealed its vulnerability to Israel’s advanced military technology, which inflicted heavy damage on civilians.
Then, on October 7, 2023, violence escalated with a surprise attack by Hamas on Israeli settlements. This marked a sharp increase in violence, resulting in thousands of deaths and many Palestinians being forced from their homes in Gaza. These events highlighted Hamas’s military power but also underscored its failure to protect Gaza’s civilians from the overwhelming force of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).
The Burden of Governance in Gaza
Also, the management of the Gaza Strip is continually posing tough challenges to Hamas. This has killed the Gaza economy as the Israeli blockade (which has been ramped up over the years), along with high rates of internal mismanagement, has rendered more than 40 per cent of the population unemployed, leading to high rates of poverty, food insecurity, and chronic malnutrition.
Internal Pressures and Declining Legitimacy
Although Hamas used to be praised due to its social service initiatives, it has fallen short because of an acute lack of resources, which has further aggravated humanitarian crises. Issues like scarcity of clean water, recurrent outage of electricity, and poor medical care significantly undermine the group’s legitimacy in people’s minds.
People grow frustrated, and opposition is building up. Still, Hamas is keeping the upper hand by a mixture of security services and media controlled by them, which they use to spread propaganda to ensure they do not lose their power.
Strategic Dilemma: Diplomacy or Militancy?
Meanwhile, in the future, Hamas will face a tough choice in its strategy. It can either adopt a more diplomatic and cooperative approach or continue to focus on militancy. Trying to reconcile with Fatah, the rival Palestinian political group, or actively participating in the peace process could help Hamas gain much-needed international aid and improve its global reputation.
However, this could also upset its right-wing supporters, who might see any compromise as a betrayal of their beliefs. On the other hand, sticking to a militant stance may lead to greater isolation for Gaza and worsen the humanitarian crisis for its people. Hamas’s ability to navigate these conflicting pressures will be key in shaping its future and the broader situation in Palestinian society and international politics.
Conclusion
According to the article, we have seen that Hamas has become a powerful resistance group and the governing body in Gaza, linked to the Muslim Brotherhood. It emerged during the First Intifada in 1987 and offers an Islamist alternative to the secular nationalism of the PLO. Its military activities include suicide bombings and rocket attacks, which helped it become both a militant organization and a government after winning the 2006 election.
Despite its connections with Iran and Qatar, Hamas struggles to gain acceptance on the global stage due to being seen as a terrorist organization by many in the Western world and Israel.
As it enters the 2020s, Hamas is contending with the problem of how it can maintain its resistance discourse amidst Gaza being under siege. It leaves a significant mark on Palestinian politics, hurting the relations with Fatah and aggravating the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Will Hamas be able to move beyond military insurgency into political validity, or will a focus on jihad continue to isolate it in a cycle of violence and sacrifice?
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