Lords of Gaza - what is Hamas and why did it attack Israel?

International aid to the Gaza Strip has played a key role in arming Hamas, according to a senior analyst at the Center for Fundamental Rights.

Gázai övezet, 2023. október 15. A Gázai övezetet irányító Hamász palesztin iszlamista szervezet milicistái rakétákkal lövik Izraelt a Gázai övezetbõl 2023. október 14-én. A Hamász október 7-én többfrontos támadást indított Izrael ellen, ahol több mint 1300 ember életét vesztette. A Hamász elleni izraeli válaszcsapások több mint 2300 palesztin halálát okozták a Gázai övezetben. MTI/EPA/Mohamed Szaber Fotó: Mohamed Szaber

Hamas, which was formed under the leadership of Imam Ahmed Yassin in 1987 from local members of the Muslim Brotherhood, operates on Sunni Islamic fundamentalist foundations and has denied Israel's right to exist from its inception.

Hamas is considered a terrorist organization by a large part of the world, including in the European Union. The group does not enjoy unequivocal support in the region either: Jordan and Egypt also see them as terrorists, the latter, following Israel's example, hermetically sealed off its border at the southern end of the Hamas-led Gaza Strip,

said Laszlo Dornfeld, who revealed that the organisation gradually radicalized, and in 1991 established the Al-Qassam Brigades, which are the armed wing of Hamas. The terrorist organization has been carrying out classic terrorist attacks since 1994, with the broad support of the Palestinian people.

As for Hamas, the expert says, it is important to note that they came to power in Gaza in 2006 through elections considered democratic by foreign observers, and also have a large support base in the West Bank. Despite this, the group is considered a terrorist organization by several Arab states in the region. 

Hamas's main external supporter is Iran, a Shia Islam country, but the common goal of the destruction of Israel overrides these religious differences. Qatar is also an important external supporter of the terrorist group. In addition, Hamas has close ties with other Islamic terrorist organizations active in the region, such as Lebanon's Hezbollah,

Dornfeld noted, pointing out that the strengthening of Hamas is attributable to two factors: on the one hand, its relentless promotion of the fight to abolish Israel, and on the other, its focus on targeting the poorer sections of society by maintaining educational and health institutions, and instilling the virtue of martyrdom in young people from an early age;

Hamas therefore, has control over Gaza and its more than two million inhabitants, which means a lot of potential jihadists for them, and is financially backed by foreign supporters. Gaza has received so much international aid in recent decades that they could have easily normalized living conditions there, but instead, the monies end up primarily in the pockets of Hamas leaders living abroad - mainly in Qatar, and they buy weapons and pay annuities to the families of martyrs who died in the fighting,

the expert said, adding that the European Union also features prominently among the foreign sponsors of terrorism, having provided funding for the construction of a water pipeline in Gaza. The pipeline never delivered a drop of water to the locals, as Hamas repurposed the pipes to make rockets.

As for the future of Hamas, the ball is in Israel's court. According to the senior analyst at the Center for Fundamental Rights, the main dilemma facing Israel now is whether to send its ground troops into the Gaza Strip. 

This would likely widen the conflict, new actors would join in, and would result in unbearably high military and civilian casualties. By upending a period of relatively tranquil detente, Hamas has proven that peaceful coexistence is not an option. This is definitely a huge dilemma for Israeli decision-makers, and the Biden administration in the US is also lobbying against a ground offensive.

said the expert, who believes Should Israel engage in ground operations, the fighting would likely end in the territory returning to long-term military rule. With nearly all Hamas leaders living abroad, an invasion would hardly bring the end of the organization, but the loss of their main base would considerably reduce their significance. If, on the other hand, Israel decides against deploying in the region, the whole conflict will increase Hamas's prestige in Islamist circles. Israel's entry into the Gaza Strip would further escalate the conflict and thwart the normalization process set in motion by the Abraham Accords.

Cover photo:  Militants of the Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas fire rockets at Israel from the Gaza Strip on  October 14, 2023 (Photo: MTI/EPA/Mohamed Saber)