Who is Hamas Israel? What is Hamas vs Israel?

Hamas is a Palestinian Islamist militant group that rules the Gaza Strip. Hamas is sworn to Israel’s destruction and has fought several wars with Israel since it took power in Gaza in 2007.

In between those wars, it has fired or allowed other groups to fire thousands of rockets at Israel and carried out other deadly attacks. The conflict between Israel and Hamas is a long-standing issue that has its roots in the late 19th century when Jewish immigrants began to settle in Palestine, then part of the Ottoman Empire.

Following World War I, the League of Nations granted Britain a mandate to administer Palestine, and Jewish immigration continued to increase. Tensions between Jews and Arabs in Palestine grew over time, and fighting broke out between the two sides.

In 1948, Israel declared its independence, and neighboring Arab countries invaded in an attempt to prevent its creation. The war ended with Israel in control of more territory than had been allotted to it under the UN plan.

The founder, Sheik Ahmed Yassin, articulated the group’s primary goal: to liberate Palestine, including modern-day Israel, from Israeli occupation and establish an Islamic state encompassing Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.

Since 1994, Hamas has consistently stated its willingness to accept a truce with Israel under specific conditions, including:

• Israel’s withdrawal to the 1967 borders.
• Payment of reparations.
• Facilitation of free elections in Palestinian territories.
• Granting Palestinian refugees the right to return.
• Israel and Hamas have engaged in several conflicts of varying intensity over the years. The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, has launched attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers, often presenting them as retaliations for assassinations of their leaders.

These attacks have taken various forms, including suicide bombings and, since 2001, rocket attacks. While most of Hamas’s rocket arsenal consists of short-range Qassam rockets, they have also acquired Grad-type rockets and longer-range projectiles capable of reaching major Israeli cities.

In May 2017, Ismail Haniyeh was chosen as the new leader, replacing Khaled Meshaal. The decision-making process involves consultative councils, including the General Consultative Council and the Politburo, which represent various segments of the Palestinian population.