What’s Hamas and why is it preventing with Israel in Gaza?

Hamas is a Palestinian armed group and political motion within the Gaza Strip. On October 7, 2023, it attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 individuals and taking greater than 250 hostages.

This triggered a large Israeli army offensive in Gaza, killing tens of 1000’s of Palestinians. Hamas continues to fireside rockets at Israel.

The USA, Britain, Israel and lots of different nations have designated Hamas as a terrorist group.

Hamas was based in 1987 as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood. Its identify means “Islamic Resistance Motion”.

It rejects the existence of Israel on supposedly Palestinian land. They need a state based mostly on Islam of their place and all through the occupied West Financial institution, East Jerusalem and Gaza.

Nevertheless, it has signaled its willingness to simply accept a short lived Palestinian state solely within the West Financial institution, East Jerusalem and Gaza, with out renouncing its declare to all of historic Palestine.

Earlier than the Oct. 7 assaults, Hamas was estimated to have had about 30,000 fighters, however Israel stated in August that its forces had killed greater than 17,000 of them. This can’t be independently verified.

Hamas has been the only real ruler of the Gaza Strip since 2007, after profitable Palestinian elections and violently ousting its rivals.

When Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, Ismail Haniyeh was the group's fundamental chief. He was based mostly in Qatar, the place the group has headquarters.

Haniyeh was murdered in an explosion in July 2024 whereas visiting the Iranian capital Tehran.

He was changed by Yahya Sinwar, who had been Hamas chief in Gaza since 2017.

Sinwar was killed by Israel Protection Forces (IDF) troopers in Gaza in October 2024.

He was the architect of the October 7 assaults and Israel's most wished man.

Sinwar had disappeared early within the warfare and, earlier than the prospect encounter through which he was killed, was believed to have spent a lot of the battle hiding in tunnels beneath Gaza.

It’s not but clear who will substitute him as Hamas chief.

A number of different prime Hamas commanders have been killed by Israel for the reason that warfare started.

On account of the battle, the group's infrastructure and skill to function overtly within the Gaza Strip have been almost destroyed.

Its most outstanding leaders now embrace Khaled Meshaal, who leads Hamas's relations with Palestinian communities overseas and lives in Qatar, and Mahmoud Zahar, one of many group's founders, who lives in Gaza.

Hamas's fundamental allies are Iran – its greatest supporter by way of cash, weapons and political help – in addition to Syria and Qatar.

Hamas led the deadliest assault on Israel in its historical past, killing about 1,200 individuals, together with greater than 360 younger individuals at a music competition.

The unprecedented assault despatched shockwaves throughout the nation as Hamas gunmen attacked border communities and took hostages for hours.

Hamas has stated it’s a resistance motion. She described the assault as a response to alleged a long time of Israeli oppression, the homicide of Palestinians and the years-long blockade of the Gaza Strip.

As Israel ready to mark the anniversary of the assault, Khalil al-Hayya, probably the most senior chief exterior Gaza, justified it by saying he had put the plight of the Palestinians on the world's political agenda.

“It was essential to sound the alarm on this planet, to inform them that there’s a individuals right here who’ve a trigger and have calls for that should be met,” he advised the BBC's Jeremy Bowen.

Hamas additionally stated the assault was in response to what it stated have been Israeli efforts to take over the positioning of Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque – Islam's third holiest web site. Hamas additionally needs the discharge of 1000’s of Palestinians in Israeli prisons.

The yr earlier than the assault was additionally the deadliest within the West Financial institution occupation for the reason that United Nations started preserving data in 2005. By the top of the yr, at the very least 505 Palestinians had been killed there, largely by Israeli troopers and settlers. That very same yr, 30 Israelis have been additionally killed within the West Financial institution.

All Palestinian factions and events reject Israel's presence within the West Financial institution in addition to in occupied East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. They need the nation to grow to be a part of a future unbiased state supported by the overwhelming majority of the worldwide group.

Israel's occupation of the land and the settlements it has constructed there are current declared unlawful by the UN Supreme Court docket. Nevertheless, the present Israeli authorities doesn’t acknowledge the Palestinians' proper to their very own state, arguing that this may pose a risk to safety. As well as, the West Financial institution is claimed as a part of a “Better Israel”.

Analysts imagine the assault may even have been timed to undermine Saudi Arabia's recognition of Israel, which was thought doubtless on the time.

Following the October 7 assault, Israel launched a large army offensive towards Hamas within the Gaza Strip. It started with air strikes and was adopted by a floor invasion.

The 2 sides have been at warfare ever since.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated Israel wished to destroy Hamas, return the remaining hostages and make sure that Israel may now not be threatened sooner or later.

In addition they need tens of 1000’s of displaced Israelis to have the ability to return to their houses in northern Israel, close to the border with Lebanon, which is beneath assault from Hamas ally Hezbollah.

In line with the Hamas-run Well being Ministry, greater than 41,600 individuals in Gaza have been killed within the preventing – largely civilians, most of them ladies and kids.

The United Nations says many of the 2.three million residents have been compelled from their houses and meals insecurity is “catastrophic.”

Since its founding, Hamas has carried out bombings, rocket assaults and shootings in Israel, killing civilians and troopers.

Israel has carried out operations towards Hamas in Gaza and its cells in East Jerusalem and the West Financial institution, killing their fighters. Israel has killed many Palestinian civilians in such operations.

The 2 sides have additionally fought a number of main conflicts – in 2008-09, 2012 and 2014.

The final main battle between the 2 sides occurred in Might 2021, which ended with a ceasefire after eleven days.

In every spherical of preventing, individuals have been killed on either side, the overwhelming majority of them Palestinians within the Gaza Strip.

The Gaza Strip is a 41 km (25 mi) lengthy and 10 km large space between Israel, Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea.

It was a part of a deliberate Arab state beneath the unique 1947 UN partition plan. Gaza was then occupied by Egypt within the warfare that adopted the creation of Israel after which captured by Israel through the 1967 Six-Day Struggle.

Israel withdrew its troops and about 7,000 settlers from the world in 2005, though the UN nonetheless considers the nation occupied.

Gaza is likely one of the most densely populated locations on this planet.

In line with the UN, simply over three quarters of the inhabitants are registered refugees or descendants of refugees.

Even earlier than the present warfare between Israel and Hamas, the world had one of many highest unemployment charges on this planet, with many of the inhabitants dwelling beneath the poverty line and counting on meals support to outlive.

Israel controls Gaza's airspace, its shoreline and the shared border. It additionally restricts the motion of individuals and items.