What Is Hamas And Why Is It Fighting Israel?

Hamas is a militant group that operates from and controls the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian exclave on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea bordering Israel mainland and Egypt. The latest situation in Israel where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared a “state of war” with Hamas, was caused by an unprecedented attack launched by this very group. Israel subsequently initiated air strikes on Gaza resulting in massive devastation with more than 500 reported deaths cumulatively and thousands of injuries.

Israel has underscored its goal which is to “destroy” Hamas and “Islamic Jihad” to preclude its ability to attack for many years. Saturday’s attack, which happened to be on a major Jewish holiday, followed months of violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, with stepped-up raids, street attacks and assaults by Jewish settlers on Palestinian villages. 

To understand why Hamas launched the attack and the situation at large, we need to look at the origin of the decades-long fight between the two sides and the intention behind it.

What is Hamas?

Hamas is a Palestinian Islamist extremist group, which the United States and the European Union consider a designated terrorist organisation. Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in 2007 and is backed by Iran and also operates in the West Bank. 

The origin of Hamas dates back to 1987 soon after the First Intifada – a series of violent protests by Palestinians – to liberate Palestine from Israeli occupation. It was founded by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, a Palestinian spiritual leader-turned-activist in the Muslim Brotherhood. "Hamas" is an acronym for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya.

While initially it sought to gain control of all of Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, in 1994 (and since), it changed its stance and said it would accept a truce if Israel moved back to the 1967 borders. The militant group has fired many air missiles, conducted suicide bombings and supported other militant attacks against Israel in the following decade. Israel has also repeatedly used its military and technological prowess to attack Hamas with air strikes. 

Political Rise Of Hamas

In 2002, the group’s senior leader Salah Shehadeh, who founded the Qassam Brigades wing, was assassinated by Israel. In March and April 2004, founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and his successor Abdul Aziz al-Rantissi were assassinated in Israeli missile strikes in Gaza.

But when Israel withdrew its troops and settlers from Gaza in 2005, Hamas started engaging in the Palestinian political process and won the 2006 legislative elections, signalling a civil war and the ouster of the rival Fatah movement of President Mahmoud Abbas in Gaza. As Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007, Israel, together with Egypt, blockaded the Gaza Strip in what it says is for its security.

Hamas has fought four wars with Israel since 2007, seeking the liberation of Palestine.

Currently, Yehiya Sinwar is the closest to a top leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip. He took over the office headed by Ismail Haniyeh, former Prime Minister of Gaza and now the group’s head of political bureau. Haniyeh has operated from Doha, Qatar, since 2020, because Egypt controls who passes in and out through its border with Gaza, just as Israel still controls the air space over the region. 

Muhammed Deif is the head of the military wing of Hamas and a shadowy leader who reportedly gave the orders for ‘Operation Al-Aqsa Storm’ – the surprise attack on Israel. He rose to prominence within the Qassam Brigades and became its leader following Shehadeh’s death in 2002.

What Is The Purpose Of Hamas And Why Did It Attack Israel?

Hamas is dedicated to the creation of an independent Palestinian state, even though it has softened its stance in recent years and indicated its willingness to accept a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders. The same was included in its 2017 document of general principles and policies as well. A major section of the Palestinian population supports Hamas as the “most deserving” of representing and leading them, according to a poll conducted in 2021.

However, conditions for Palestinians have worsened under the hard-right Netanyahu government and peacemaking has been stalled for years. With Saudi Arabia moving towards normalising ties with Israel in return for a defence deal between Washington and Riyadh, Hamas saw a threat to Palestinians. “Hamas’s actions send a clear reminder to the Saudis that the Palestinian issue should not be treated as just another subtopic in normalisation negotiations," Richard LeBaron, a former U.S. Middle East diplomat now at the Atlantic Council thinktank, was quoted in a Reuters report.