Terrorist organization
Who is behind Hamas?
Palestinians celebrate in Nablus after the major military operation launched against Israel by the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas.
© Ayman Nobani / DPA
The attack came as a complete surprise, but the attackers are known: they are the Essedin al-Kassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas. But what kind of organization is this?
The radical Islamic group Hamas was founded shortly after the start of the first Intifada in December 1987. Hamas is the abbreviation of the Arabic name for “Islamic Resistance Movement”. The word itself means “zeal.” Hamas’s programmatic goal is the destruction of Israel and the establishment of an Islamic state of Palestine.
The movement emerged as an offshoot of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and saw itself as a counterpoint to the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). It initially operated as a purely charitable organization, establishing schools and other social institutions, which gained it widespread popularity among the impoverished population of the Gaza Strip and led to its victory in the last elections in the Palestinian territories in 2006.
Hamas has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007
Afterwards, rivalries with the Fatah party of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas intensified. After fighting with Fatah fighters, Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in the summer of 2007. Israel then imposed a blockade on the densely populated coastal area. Israel, the EU and the USA classify Hamas as a terrorist organization. Hamas’ armed wing is the Essedin al-Qassam Brigades, which also claimed responsibility for the massive attack on Israel on Saturday.
Since 2008, Israel has fought three wars against Hamas. In the most serious Gaza war to date in the summer of 2014, more than 2,200 Palestinians were killed, the majority of them civilians. On the Israeli side there were 74 dead, the victims were mainly soldiers.