What is Hamas, Who Backs it & Why It is Fighting Against Israel Now | Explained

The air and ground offensive by the Palestinian group Hamas has opened a new chapter in the decades-old Israel-Palestine conflict. Hamas on Saturday launched a surprise attack from Gaza into Israel, in one of the most serious escalations in recent years.

As per reports, a “significant number” of Israeli civilians and soldiers are being held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Israel-Palestine Conflict LIVE | Over 600 Killed; Israeli Military Strikes House of Hamas Intel Chief

The fighting has killed more than 200 Israelis and wounded over 1,000, leaving bodies of civilians strewn on roads, while on the Gaza side at least 313 have died and over 1,700 were reported wounded.

What is Hamas?

Hamas, an acronym for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya, is an Islamic Resistance Movement founded in 1987 during the First Intifada or Palestinian uprising.

It has run the Gaza Strip since 2007, after a brief civil war with forces loyal to the Fatah movement led by President Mahmoud Abbas, who is based in the West Bank and heads the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

The Hamas takeover of Gaza followed its win in Palestinian parliamentary elections in 2006. Since then, Hamas has sworn to the destruction of Israel and fought several wars with Israel since it took power in Gaza in 2007.

Who Backs and Who Opposes Hamas?

Hamas is backed by Shi’ite Iran and shares the Islamist ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood, a transnational Islamist organisation founded in Egypt in the 1920s. Hamas is part of a regional alliance comprising Iran, Syria and the Shi’ite Islamist group Hezbollah in Lebanon, which all broadly oppose US policy in the Middle East and Israel. Iran provides funds to Hamas and also give support for weapons and training.

The Palestinian militant organisation is designated as a terrorist organisation by Israel, the United States, the UK, European Union, Canada, Egypt and Japan.

While its power base is in Gaza, Hamas also has supporters across the Palestinian territories, and it has leaders spread across the Middle East in countries including Qatar.

Who Leads Hamas?

Hamas is currently led by Ismail Haniyeh, who was elected head of Hamas’s Politburo in 2017. Hamas rival Fatah party is led by Mahmud Abbas.

Though Hamas is considered, a terror organisation by much of the West, the officials of the Palestinian group visit Turkey and enjoy good relations with Erdogan.

What Does Hamas Believe in?

Hamas has been involved in several rounds of conflict with Israel in the last two decades, firing rocket attacks from Gaza into Israel.

Hamas refuse to recognise the state of Israel and violently opposed the Oslo peace accords negotiated by Israel and the PLO in the mid-1990s. Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat had signed the Oslo accords with Israel in 1993 to negotiate an end to the conflict based on a two-state solution.

The militant group also has an armed wing called the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, which earlier sent gunmen and suicide bombers into Israel.

Though the group is dedicated to the creation of an independent Palestinian state, but in recent years has indicated its willingness to accept a two-state solution.

Why are Israel and Hamas fighting now?

There has always been tension between Israel and Hamas. However, Saturday’s attack came without a warning.

Hamas fired thousands of rockets at Israel as dozens of Hamas fighters breached the border, killing dozens of civilians and taking several Israeli soldiers captive.