Hamas is a Palestinian Sunni Islamic terrorist organization that operates primarily in Gaza and the West Bank, with holdings in Arab countries throughout the Middle East.
Hamas was an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood political movement, and was established in 1987 in the wake of the First Intifada. According to Hamas’s charter, the organization was established to liberate Palestine from Israel in order to establish an Islamic state. It holds aspirations on all territory between the Mediterranean seas and the Jordan river, and refuses to acknowledge Israel in any capacity.
The group has a military wing, known as the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. Hamas has used a wide range of tactics, but it does not discriminate in its targets, and often targets civilians. It is recognized by most Western states as a terrorist organization. Hamas has engaged in a number of military confrontations with Israel. Its military wing has employed tactics such as suicide bombings, rocket attacks, kidnapping attempts, and tunnel infiltrations against Israeli soldiers and civilians.
In 2006, the Palestinians held legislative elections in Gaza, but when Hamas won, there was a civil war, and Hamas seized full control of the Strip. Under Hamas, Gaza has been in a longstanding state of conflict with Israel. From the 2005 Israeli disengagement onwards, Hamas has continued to commit terrorist attacks against Israelis from Gaza, and several operations have been fought to quell Hamas attacks, including 2008's Cast Lead, 2011's Pillar of Defense, 2014's Protective Edge, and 2021's Guardian of the Walls.
Jihadi extremists aim at anyone, of any religion, who doesn’t precisely fit their own twisted school of thought.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett promised that he was personally committed to bringing captive Hisham al-Sayed back home.
The call came amid increasing scenes of anarchy and lawlessness in the city and nearby villages and towns, in addition to the Jenin Refugee Camp.
While support for the two-state solution has dropped, the number of Palestinians who support a bi-national state solution has increased.
The PIJ leader warned that rockets would be fired on Tel Aviv if any members of the movement were attacked by Israel.
The attack wounded four people and saw one fatality, 26-year-old South African oleh Eli Kay.
Hamas terrorists were offered $1 million to conduct a kidnapping attack.
Eli Kay was remembered by his friends as warm, optimistic, full of life, and who devoted his life to the Land of Israel and the Jewish people.
Every aspect of Hamas is criminal and murderous. Over the years it tried to pretend it might change its ways, but in the recent war it fired 4,000 rockets at Israeli civilians.
Hamas is perceived as having initiated the war to stop the Sheikh Jarrah evictions and force Israel to rescind its strict security measures in Jerusalem’s Old City and the all-Aqsa Mosque compound.
JPOST Digital Library
