History of HamasFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The History of Hamas is an account of the Palestinian Islamic[1][2] fundamentalist[3][4][5] socio-political

organization with an associated paramilitary force, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.[1][6][7] Hamas (حماس)Ḥamās is an acronym of حركة المقاومة االسالمیة Ḥarakat al-Muqāwamat al-Islāmiyyah, meaning "IslamicResistance Movement".

Hamas was established in 1987, and has its origins in Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood movement, which had beenactive in the Gaza Strip since the 1950s and gained influence through a network of mosques and various charitableand social organizations. In the 1980s the Brotherhood emerged as a powerful political factor, challenging the

influence of the PLO,[5] and in 1987 adopted a more nationalist and activist line under the name of Hamas.[5]

During the 1990s and early 2000s, the organization conducted numerous suicide bombings and other attacksagainst Israel.

In the Palestinian legislative election of January 2006, Hamas gained a large majority of seats in the PalestinianParliament, defeating the ruling Fatah party. After the elections, conflicts arose between Hamas and Fatah, which

they were unable to resolve.[8][9][10] In June 2007, Hamas defeated Fatah in a series of violent clashes, and sincethat time Hamas has governed the Gaza portion of the Palestinian Territories, while at the same time they were

ousted from government positions in the West Bank.[11][12] Israel and Egypt then imposed an economic blockade

on Gaza and largely sealed their borders with the territory.[13][14]

After acquiring control of Gaza, Hamas-affiliated and other militias launched rocket attacks upon Israel, which

Hamas ceased in June 2008 following an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire.[15] The ceasefire broke down late in 2008,

with each side accusing the other of responsibility.[16] In late December 2008, Israel attacked Gaza,[17]

withdrawing its forces in mid-January 2009.[18]

Contents

1 Early Islamic activism in Gaza

2 1987—The founding of Hamas

3 The 1990s

4 The Second Intifada

5 2004—A 10-year truce

6 2005—Israel's unilateral disengagement plan

7 January 2006—Winning the legislative election

7.1 Political decisions, and consequences on economy

7.2 Last Fatah measures

7.3 Hamas' declarations since the 2006 legislative elections

7.4 Cabinet formation

7.5 Tensions between Fatah and Hamas

7.6 Agreement and preservation of national unity

7.7 2006 Israel-Gaza conflict

7.8 2007 end-of-truce with Israel

7.9 Hamas-Fatah conflict

7.10 Gaza War

7.11 After the Gaza War

7.12 Islamization of the Gaza Strip (2007–present)

7.13 2011

8 Brief timeline

9 See also

10 References

Early Islamic activism in Gaza

With its takeover of Gaza after the 1967 war with Egypt, Israel hunted down secular Palestinian Liberation

Organization factions, but dropped the previous Egyptian rulers' harsh restrictions against Islamic activists.[19] Infact, Israel for many years tolerated and at times encouraged Islamic activists and groups as a counterweight to the

secular nationalists of the PLO and its dominant faction, Fatah.[19][20]

Among the activists benefited was Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Gaza, who had alsoformed the Islamic group Mujama al-Islamiya, a charity recognized by Israel in 1979. Israel allowed the

organization to build mosques, clubs, schools, and a library in Gaza.[19]

Yitzhak Segev, the acting governor of Gaza in 1979, said he had no illusions about Yassin's intentions, havingwatched an Islamist movement topple the Shah as Israel's military attache in Iran. However, according to Segev,Yassin and his charity were "100% peaceful" towards Israel during this time, and Segev and other Israeli officialsfeared being viewed as an enemy of Islam. Segev maintained regular contact with Yassin, met with him around a

dozen times, and arranged for Yassin to be taken to Israel for hospital treatment.[19]

Also, Segev said, Fatah was "our main enemy."[19][21] Islamists frequently attacked secular and leftist Palestinian

movements, including Fatah, but the Israeli military avoided getting involved in those quarrels.[19] It stood aside, forexample, when Mujama al-Islamiya activists stormed the Red Crescent charity's headquarters in Gaza, but Segev

did send soldiers to prevent the burning down of the home of the head of the organization.[19]

In 1984 the Israeli army received intelligence that Yassin's followers were collecting arms in Gaza. Israeli troops

raided mosques and found a cache of weapons.[19] Yassin was arrested, but told his interrogators the weaponswere meant to be used against secular Palestinians, not Israel. The cleric was released a year later and allowed to

continue to develop his movement in Gaza.[19]

Around the time of Yassin's arrest, Avner Cohen, an Israeli religious affairs official, sent a report to senior militaryofficers and civilian leadership in Gaza advising them of the dangers of the Islamic movement, but this report and

similar ones were ignored.[19] Former military intelligence officer Shalom Harari said the warnings were ignored out

of neglect, not a desire to fortify the Islamists: "Israel never financed Hamas. Israel never armed Hamas."[19][22]

1987—The founding of Hamas

In 1987, several Palestinians were killed in a traffic accident involving an Israeli driver, and the events thatfollowed–a Palestinian uprising against Israel's West Bank and Gaza occupation–led Yassin and six otherPalestinians to found Hamas as an offshoot of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood. The new group was supported byBrotherhood-affiliated charities and social institutions that had already gained a strong foothold in the occupiedterritories. The acronym "Hamas" first appeared in 1987 in a leaflet that accused the Israeli intelligence services ofundermining the moral fiber of Palestinian youth as part of Mossad's recruitment of what Hamas termed"collaborators." Nonetheless, Israeli military and intelligence was still focused on Fatah, and continued to maintaincontacts with Gaza Islamic activists. Numerous Islamic leaders, including senior Hamas founder Mahmoud Zahar,met with Yitzhak Rabin as part of "regular consultations" between Israeli officials and Palestinians not linked to the

PLO.[19]

Hamas carried out its first attack against Israel in 1989, abducting and killing two soldiers. The Israel DefenseForces immediately arrested Yassin and sentenced him to life in prison, and deported 400 Hamas activists,including Zahar, to South Lebanon, which at the time was occupied by Israel. During this time Hamas built arelationship with Hezbollah.

From 1987 to 1991, Hamas campaigned for the wearing of the hijab alongside other measures, including insistingwomen stay at home be segregated from men, and the promotion of polygamy. In the course of this campaignwomen who chose not to wear the hijab were verbally and physically harassed, with the result that the hijab was

being worn 'just to avoid problems on the streets'.[23]

The 1990s

Hamas's military branch, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, was created in 1991.[24] Although the Brigades are

an integral part of Hamas, they operate independently, and at times contrary to Hamas policy.[25] During the 1990sthe al-Qassam Brigades conducted numerous attacks against civilians and the Israeli military. From April 1993

these included suicide bombings, for which Hamas became well-known internationally.[26] A major motivation forHamas’s decision to use suicide attacks as its primary modus operandi was the February 1994 massacre by

Baruch Goldstein of 30 Muslims in a Hebron mosque.[27] The Brigades’ Yahya Ayash who may have

masterminded most of the early suicide attacks, was killed by the Israeli secret service in early 1996.[28]

In December 1992 Israel responded to the killing of a border police officer by deporting 415 leading figures ofHamas and Islamic Jihad to Lebanon, which provoked international condemnation and a unanimous UN Security

Council resolution condemning the action.[29][30]

August 2001 Sbarro pizza restaurant

bombing in Jerusalem, in which 15

Israeli civilians were killed. Hamas said

the attack was in response to Israel

killing its officials, including two senior

leaders.[37]

Although the suicide attacks by the al-Qassam Brigades and other groups violated the 1993 Oslo accords (which

Hamas opposed[31]), Palestinian Authority President Yasir Arafat was reluctant to pursue the attackers and may

have had inadequate means to do so.[28] Some analysts stated that the Palestinian Authority could stop the suicide

and other attacks on civilians but refused to do so.[32]

In September 1997, Israeli agents in Jordan attempted but failed to kill Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal, leading tochilled relations between the two countries and release of Yassin, Hamas’s spiritual leader, from Israeli prison. Twoyears later Hamas was banned in Jordan, reportedly in part at the request of the United States, Israel, and the

Palestinian Authority.[33] Jordan's King Abdullah feared the activities of Hamas and its Jordanian allies wouldjeopardize peace negotiations with Israel, and accused Hamas of engaging in illegitimate activities within

Jordan.[34][35] In mid-September 1999, authorities arrested Hamas leaders Khaled Mashaal and Ibrahim Ghoshehon their return from a visit to Iran, and charged them with being members of an illegal organization, storing

weapons, conducting military exercises, and using Jordan as a training base.[34][35][36] Hamas leaders denied the

charges.[33] Mashaal was exiled and eventually settled in Syria.

The Second Intifada

Al-Qassam Brigades militants were among the armed groups thatlaunched both military-style attacks and suicide bombings against Israelicivilian and military targets during the Second Intifada (also known asthe Al-Aqsa Intifada (Arabic: انتفاضة األقصى, Intifāḍat El Aqṣa;Hebrew: אינתיפאדת אל-אקצה, Intifādat El-Aqtzah), which began in lateSeptember 2000. This Palestinian uprising against Israeli rule in theoccupied territories was much more violent than the First Intifada. Themilitary and civilian death toll was estimated at 5,500 Palestinians, more

than 1,100 Israelis, and 64 foreigners.[38] A 2007 study of Palestiniansuicide bombings during the Second Intifada (September 2000 throughAugust 2005) found that about 40 percent were carried out by the al-

Qassam Brigades.[39]

The immediate trigger for the Second Intifada is disputed, but a moregeneral cause, writes U.S. political science professor Jeremy Pressman,was “popular Palestinian discontent [that] grew during the Oslo peace

process because the reality on the ground did not match the expectations created by the peace agreements.”[40]

Hamas would be the beneficiary of this growing discontent in the 2006 Palestinian Authority legislative elections.

2004—A 10-year truce

In January 2004, Hamas leader Yassin said that the group would end armed resistance against Israel in exchangefor a Palestinian state in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, and that restoring

Palestinians' "historical rights" (relating to the 1948 Palestinian exodus) "would be left for future generations."[41] OnJanuary 25, 2004, senior Hamas official Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi offered a 10-year truce, or hudna, in return for theestablishment of a Palestinian state and the complete withdrawal by Israel from the territories captured in the 1967

Six Day War.[41] Al-Rantissi stated that Hamas had come to the conclusion that it was "difficult to liberate all our

land at this stage, so we accept a phased liberation."[41][42] Israel immediately dismissed al-Rantissi's statements as

insincere and a smokescreen for military preparations.[42] Yassin was killed in a targeted killing on March 22,

2004, by an Israeli air strike,[43] and al-Rantisi was killed by a similar air strike on April 18, 2004.[44]

From the time of an attack on the Israeli southern town of Be'er Sheva in August 2004, in which 15 people werekilled and 125 wounded, a truce was generally observed. Hamas violated it in August 2005, with an attack on the

same bus station, wounding seven, and in several attacks on Israeli motorists—killing six.[45][46]

At the end of January 2004, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell mandated Steve Cohen, a U.S. official, to meetwith Hamas officials, according to the French newspaper Le Canard enchaîné. The mission was not only to informthe U.S. about the Hamas objectives, according to the newspaper, but also to evaluate if it could represent acounterbalance to al-Qaeda. In exchange for such cooperation, according to Le Canard, Hamas officials asked for

the end of extrajudicial targeted killings carried out against them by the Israeli military.[47]

While Hamas boycotted the 2005 Palestinian presidential election, it did participate in the 2005 municipal electionsorganized by Yasser Arafat in the occupied territories. In those elections it won control of over one third ofPalestinian municipal councils, besting Fatah, which had traditionally been "the biggest force in Palestinian

politics".[48] With this electoral success behind it, Hamas contested the 2006 elections for the Palestinian LegislativeCouncil as the main component of the List of Change and Reform.

2005—Israel's unilateral disengagement plan

In 2004, in a prelude to Israel's unilateral disengagement plan from the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces carried out anumber of military attacks on Gaza cities and refugees camps, seeking to draw out and kill Hamas-affiliatedgunmen. Awareness of high casualties during such incursions led the Hamas leadership to instruct its activists toavoid putting themselves needlessly in the line of fire. On September 12, 2005, IDF withdrew from the Gaza Stripand declared an official end to Israeli military rule in Gaza, though Israel still retained control of the airspace and ofthe sea. However, the Palestinian Authority argued that the occupation was on-going, as complete sovereignty

includes control of both airspace and seaways. The Gaza Strip was called a "lawless open-air prison".[49]

Hamas claimed that this unilateral withdrawal was a victory for its armed struggle and pledged to liberate all theoccupied territories, including the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Fatah, on the other hand, viewed Ariel Sharon'sunilateral plan as proof of the Palestinians' failure to obtain international recognition. Both criticized thedisengagement plan, citing Sharon's simultaneous encouragement of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including

Ma'ale Adummim, a large settlement east of Jerusalem.[50]

In April 2005, an advisor of Benjamin Netanyahu, principal right-wing opponent of Ariel Sharon, secretlynegotiated with a Hamas representative, according to the Le Canard enchaîné. The meeting was about the"possibility of an administrative co-gestion with the Hamas in the occupied territories", which is already the case insome Hamas-controlled cities of the West Bank, according to the French newspaper, which continued saying that:"But, in both sides, participants to such a dialogue keeps their mouth shut (bouche cousue). It is impossible to

admit that one has met and negotiated with his sworn enemy."[47]

January 2006—Winning the legislative election

Wikinews has relatednews: Hamas winsPalestinian election

While Hamas had boycotted the January 2005 presidential election,during which Mahmoud Abbas was elected to replace Yasser Arafat, itdid participate in the municipal elections held between January and May2005, in which it took control of Beit Lahia and Rafah in the Gaza Stripand Qalqilyah in the West Bank. The January 2006 legislative elections marked another victory for Hamas, whichgained the majority of seats, defeating the ruling Fatah party. The "List of Change and Reform", as Hamas

presented itself, obtained 42.9% of the vote and 74 of the 132 seats.[51]

Political decisions, and consequences on economy

The result of the election was regarded as a major setback for governments attempting to mediate the ongoingIsraeli-Palestinian conflict. The George W. Bush administration immediately declared that it would not deal withHamas until it renounced its support of suicide bombings and violence, and accepted Israel's right to exist. Israelipresident Moshe Katsav and Israel's ex–prime minister Shimon Peres both said that if Hamas would accept Israel'sright to exist and give up violence, Israel should negotiate with the organization. President Vladimir Putin said thatRussia would not support any efforts to cut off financial assistance to the Palestinians, stating that Hamas gainedpower by democratic means. He invited some Hamas leaders to Moscow beginning of March 2006, and in May,

repeated that cutting funds to the Hamas was a "mistake".[52]

The US and the EU cut all funds to the Palestinian Authority, with only Russia warning against the potential dangersof cutting out the PA from any Western support. The EU (which gives $500 million per year to the PA) announcedthat future aid to the Palestinians was tied to "Three Principles" outlined by the international community—Hamasmust renounce violence, it must recognize Israel's right to exist, and it must express clear support for the MiddleEast peace process, as outlined in the 1993 Oslo Accords. Hamas did not seem to be ready to accept such

conditions, and rejected them as "unfair".[53] At best, they would be ready to accept the Arab Peace Initiativeformulated on March 28, 2002, during the Arab League Beirut Summit: full normalization of relations with Israel inexchange for Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 internationally recognized borders, implying Israeli evacuation of theWest Bank, the Gaza Strip, east Jerusalem, the Golan Heights and the return of all Palestinian refugees and their

descendants.[54] Furthermore, the US has imposed a financial blockade on the PA's banks, impeding some of the

Arab League's funds (e.g. Saudi Arabia and Qatar) from being transferred to the PA.[54]

Israel, on the other side, decided to cut transfers of the $55 million tax-receipts of the PA that it receives on thePA's behalf, since the PA did not have any access point to receive taxes. On February 19, 2006, interim IsraeliPrime minister Ehud Olmert, who called the PA a "terrorist authority", decided to stop transfer of the $55 milliontax-receipts to the PA, which accounts for a third of the PA's budget (two thirds of its proper budget) and insure

the wages of 165,000 Palestinian civil servants (among them 60,000 security and police officers).[54] Israel hadalready done that in 1991 and 1992, but international aid had covered up the budgetary losses. Israel also decidedto increase controls on check-points, but finally decided against blocking Palestinians from commuting betweenGaza and the West Bank and from prohibiting them to work in Israel. Criticizing these measures, moderate Laborleader Amir Peretz said that they were "indirect ways" to "get around Hamas and strengthen moderate forces"among the Palestinians.

In May 2006, following a World Bank report about the Palestinian economy, the Quartet on the Middle East (theUnited States, Russia, European Union, and the United Nations) agreed to transfer funds directly to the Palestinianpopulation. Israeli minister of foreign affairs, Tzipi Livni, said the measure was "acceptable", while PA minister of

foreign affairs, Mahmoud Zahar, welcomed the promise of aid but criticised attempts to bypass the PA: "Weappreciate every effort in order to help the Palestinian people by legal channels... and the legal channel is the

Palestinian Authority, whether the presidency or the government,".[55]

The World Bank had already compared the 2001 and 2002 economic recession, due to the Second Intifada andIsrael's refusal to transfer tax receipts, to the 1929 economic crisis. The UN underlined that unemployment, whichwas estimated to 23% in 2005, would increase to 39% in 2006, while poverty, estimated at 44%, would increase

to 67% in 2006.[54] According to a World Bank report published on May 7, 2006, the delay in paying the PA'scivil servants—who had not received their wages since March 2006—was dangerous both on social and securityplans. This convinced the United States to accept the EU proposal, supported by Russia and the Arab countries, offinding a way to transfer funds to the Palestinian society without passing by the Palestinian Authority. The Quarteton the Middle East thus accepted, on May 9, 2006, an "international temporary mechanism of limited range and

length"[52]

Last Fatah measures

Before the Israeli decision to cut transfer of tax receipts, the Palestinian Assembly passed legislation giving to thePalestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, the power to appoint a court that could veto legislation passed by the newHamas-led parliament to be sworn in start of February. The constitutional court would veto legislation deemed inviolation of the Palestinians' Basic Law, a forerunner to the Palestinian constitution. Palestinian deputies also backeda decree that automatically makes members of the incoming parliament members of the Palestine LiberationOrganization's (PLO) parliament in exile. Unlike the Hamas charter, the PLO charter recognises the legitimacy of

Israel.[56][57]

Hamas' declarations since the 2006 legislative elections

Hamas has omitted its call for the destruction of Israel from its election manifesto, calling instead for "the

establishment of an independent state whose capital is Jerusalem,".[58][59]

On February 8, Hamas head Khaled Mashal speaking in Cairo clarified that "Anyone who thinks Hamas will

change is wrong".[60]

However, on February 13, 2006, in an interview in Russian newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta, the same KhaledMashal declared that Hamas would stop armed struggle against Israel if it recognized the 1967 borders, withdrewitself from all Palestinian occupied territories (including the West Bank and East Jerusalem), and recognizedPalestinian rights that would include the "right of return". This was the first time that Hamas even talked about aneventual stop to armed struggle. But Mashal continued to refuse to acknowledge the Road map for peace, adoptedby the Quartet in June 2003, "since nobody respects it". The Road map projected the establishment of an

independent Palestinian state in 2005.[61] The Palestinian Authority's Al-Hayat Al-Jadeeda conducted a poll in2006 that showed that 84% of Palestinians support a peace deal with Israel, based on the responses of "863Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and West Bank," and that more than 75% of the peace-deal supporters voted for

Hamas.[62]

In April 2006, Henry Siegman, former director of the American Jewish Committee, stated that according to "aprominent senior member of Hamas's Political Committee" Hamas is prepared to explicitly recognize the state ofIsrael. "Members of Hamas's political directorate do not preclude significant changes over time in their policies

toward Israel and in their founding charter, including recognition of Israel, and even mutual minor borderadjustments. Such changes depend on Israel's recognition of Palestinian rights. Hamas will settle for nothing lessthan full reciprocity." These sentiments "are in striking contrast to the odiousness of Hamas's founding charter," said

Siegman.[63]

In May 2006, Hamas leaders threatened a new Intifada, as well as to decapitate anyone who tried to bring down

their cabinet.[64]

Cabinet formation

Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei and his cabinet resigned, leaving Hamas to form a new government, whichwas completely formed on March 20. On February 19, Hamas had chosen Ismail Haniya as Prime minister of thePA, and on the same day the government of Israel decided counter-measures against the new Hamas-ledPalestinian Authority (suspension of $55 million transfer of tax-receipts). After the victory, Israeli human rightsorganizations called on Hamas to stop its terror campaign against civilians and to avoid using violence as a tool toachieve a political solution.

On March 20, 2006, Hamas unveiled its full cabinet list, placing loyal members in charge of all key ministries; of the24 ministers appointed, the majority were Hamas (the others were independent or technocrats). Mahmoud Abbas'Fatah refused to join the Hamas government. The position of foreign minister was given to Mahmoud al-Zahar, aGazan leader and target of previous targeted killing attempts by Israel. Saeed Seyam, another Hamas leader, wasappointed interior minister, in charge of multiple security agencies. Hamas member and engineer Ala el-Deen Al-Araj was appointed economics minister. The position of finance minister was given to Omar Abdel-Razeq, Hamas

election official and economics professor from the West Bank.[65]

In his interview to The Sunday Telegraph, the newly appointed chief of the Palestinian security services Jamal AbuSamhadana stated: "We have only one enemy. They are Jews. We have no other enemy. I will continue to carry the

rifle and pull the trigger whenever required to defend my people."[66] However, president Mahmoud Abbas

retained official control over the Palestinian security services.[67]

Tensions between Fatah and Hamas

After the formation of the Hamas cabinet on March 20, 2006, tensions progressively rose in the Gaza Stripbetween Fatah and Hamas militants. In May 2006, The Sunday Times reported that Israeli security sources

claimed they had uncovered a Hamas plot to assassinate president Mahmoud Abbas.[68] This was officially deniedby a Hamas spokesman, while Mahmoud Abbas' spokesman, Nabil Abu Rudeina, described the report as "totally

untrue".[69] On May 8, three Palestinians were killed and 10 wounded in clashes in southern Gaza, near KhanYunis, between rival Hamas and Fatah gunmen. The PA, confronted to the Quartet's blockade and Israel's refusalto hand out the $55 million in monthly tax revenues impedes it from paying its 165,000 employees. On May 6 and7, hundreds of Palestinians demonstrated in Gaza and the West Bank demanding payment of their wages. Althoughthis inter-Palestinian incident had been one of the most serious since January 2006, tension had been slowly risen

with the "economic squeeze" on the PA.[67]

Twelve people were killed during the first days of October 2006 in armed clashes between Fatah, and the HamasInterior ministry police. These clashes started when the interior ministry militia forcibly dispersed a gathering ofPolicemen demonstrating against unpaid wages. The Fatah-affiliated Al-Asqa brigades have threatened to kill

Hamas leaders including Khaled Meshal, Saeed Seyam and Youssef al-Zahar. The Al-Asqa brigade kidnapped butthen released a senior official in the Finance ministry.

Agreement and preservation of national unity

On June 27, Hamas and Fatah reached an agreement on the prisoners' document, which included the forming of anational unity government.

On February 2007 Saudi-sponsored negotiations in Mecca produced agreement on a signed by Mahmoud Abbason behalf of Fatah and Khaled Mashal on behalf of Hamas. The new government was called on to achievePalestinian national goals as approved by the Palestine National Council, the clauses of the Basic Law and the

National Reconciliation Document (the "Prisoners' Document") as well as the decisions of the Arab summit.[10]

In March 2007, the Palestinian Legislative Council established a national unity government, with 83 representativesvoting in favor and three against. Government ministers were sworn in by Abu Mazen, the chairman on thePalestinian Authority, in at a ceremony held simultaneously in Gaza and Ramallah. In June that year, Hamas took

control of the Gaza Strip from the national unity government[70] after forcing out Fatah.

2006 Israel-Gaza conflict

On June 9, during or shortly after an Israeli operation, an explosion occurred on a busy Gaza beach, killing eight

Palestinian civilians.[71][72] It was initially assumed that Israeli shellings were responsible for the killings, althoughIsraeli government officials later denied this. Prompted by the recent events Hamas formally withdrew from its 16-month ceasefire on June 10, and took responsibility for the ongoing Qassam rocket attacks being launched from

Gaza into Israel.[73]

On June 24, Israeli operatives apprehended Osama and Mustafa Muamar in the Gaza Strip, alleged by Israel to be

Hamas members.[74] On June 25, a Hamas attack in Israel resulted in the deaths of two Israeli soldiers and thecapture of Israeli Corporal Gilad Shalit. Israel then launched Operation Summer Rains on June 28 to recover thecaptured soldier. The ongoing operation initially consisted of heavy bombardment of bridges, roads, and the onlypower station in Gaza. Several PA facilities were also bombed, such as the Palestinian Interior Ministry and theoffice of the Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya.

On June 29, Israel captured 64 Hamas officials. Amongst them were eight Palestinian Authority cabinet ministers

and up to twenty members of the Palestinian Legislative Council,[75] as well as heads of regional councils, and themayor of Qalqilyah and his deputy. At least a third of the Hamas cabinet was captured and held by Israel. OnAugust 6 Israeli forces detained the Hamas' Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Aziz Dweik, at his homein the West Bank.

In November 2006, a 64-year-old woman executed a suicide bombing mission, killing herself and slightly injuring 2Israeli soldiers. Hamas claimed responsibility and its spokesman, Abu Obeida declared that "both Palestinian men

and women are committed to battling the Israelis".[76]

2007 end-of-truce with Israel

On April 24, 2007, "six rockets were launched from Gaza [by Hamas], two of which landed in Israel". Accordingto Bloomberg news, Palestinians said the rockets were in response to Israeli military action over the previousweekend which had "killed as many as eight people in the West Bank, where there is no cease-fire, and one inGaza." Most of the dead were militants, but Palestinians said at least two civilians, including a 17-year-old girl, were

killed. Hamas announced that it considered the truce to be over.[77][78][79]

The rocket attack, which came on Israel's 59th Independence Day, caused no damage or injury. However, itmarked the first time Hamas openly acknowledged firing shells toward Israel since agreeing to a cease-fire alongthe Gaza-Israel border in November.

Abu Ubeida, a spokesman for Hamas' armed wing, told foreign journalists that "there is no truce between us andthe occupation, the occupation destroyed the truce from the moment it started, we did not trust the intentions of the

occupation from the beginning."[80] Abu Ubeida told the Voice of Palestine radio station that "the cease-fire has

been over for a long time, and Israel is responsible for that."[81] "This is a message to the Zionist enemy that ourstrikes will continue," Abu Obeida said of the rocket fire. "We are ready to kidnap more and more, and kill more

and more of your soldiers."[81]

Israeli soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit's kidnappers demand the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, includingveterans and those involved in killing or wounding Israelis.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on April 23, 2007, that freeing soldiers is important to the government, butthat it would not repeat "mistakes made in the past" by releasing violent prisoners who then carried out moreattacks against Israelis. But Olmert said there would be "no escape in the end from making a difficult decision" ontrading prisoners for the captured Israeli troops.

Hamas militants stated on April 24, 2007, that they had launched 40 rockets and 70 mortar shells. The Israelimilitary said it could confirm six rockets and eight mortars. Two of the rockets fell in Israel, north of the Gaza Strip,the Israeli army said–they added that the attack was a diversion for an attempt by Hamas gunmen to kidnap IDF

soldier.[82]

Hamas-Fatah conflict

After the formation of the Hamas-led cabinet on March 20, 2006, tensions between Fatah and Hamas militantsprogressively rose in the Gaza strip, leading to demonstrations, violence, and repeated attempts at a truce. Israeliintelligence warned Mahmoud Abbas that Hamas had planned to kill him at his office in Gaza. According to aPalestinian source close to Abbas, Hamas considers president Abbas to be a barrier to its complete control overPalestine and decided to kill him. In a statement to Al Jazeera, Hamas leader Mohammed Nazzal, accused Abbas

of being party to besieging and isolating the Hamas-led government.[83]

On June 9, 2006, during an Israeli artillery operation, an explosion occurred on a busy Gaza beach, killing eight

Palestinian civilians.[84][85] It was assumed that Israeli shellings were responsible for the killings, but Israeli

government officials denied this.[86][87] Hamas formally withdrew from its 16-month ceasefire on June 10, taking

responsibility for the subsequent Qassam rocket attacks launched from Gaza into Israel.[88]

Gilad Shalit on Hamas

poster, reads: "Our heroes

prisoners may we have a

new Gilad each year" and

down :"They (Palestinian

prisoners) are not alone"

On June 29, following a joint incursion by Fatah, Islamic Jihad, and Hamas in which two Israeli soldiers were killedand corporal Gilad Shalit was captured, Israel captured 64 Hamas officials. Among them were 8 PalestinianAuthority cabinet ministers and up to 20 members of the Palestinian Legislative

Council,[89] as well as heads of regional councils, and the mayor of Qalqilyah andhis deputy. At least a third of the Hamas cabinet was captured and held by Israel.On August 6 Israeli forces detained the Speaker of the Palestinian LegislativeCouncil, Hamas member Aziz Dweik, at his home in the West Bank.

These arrests, along with other events, including the subsequent arrest of thespeaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, effectively prevented the Hamas-dominated legislature that resulted from the preceding elections from functioning

during most of its term.[90][91]

On February 2007, Saudi-sponsored negotiations in Mecca produced agreementon a signed by Mahmoud Abbas on behalf of Fatah and Khaled Mashal on behalfof Hamas. The new government was called on to achieve Palestinian national goalsas approved by the Palestine National Council, the clauses of the Basic Law andthe National Reconciliation Document (the "Prisoners' Document") as well as the

decisions of the Arab summit.[10]

In March 2007, the Palestinian Legislative Council established a national unitygovernment, with 83 representatives voting in favor and three against. Government ministers were sworn in by AbuMazen, the chairman on the Palestinian Authority, in at a ceremony held simultaneously in Gaza and Ramallah. In

June that year, Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip from the national unity government[92] after forcing out Fatah.

In June 2007, renewed fighting broke out between Hamas and Fatah. In the course of the June 2007 Battle of

Gaza, Hamas exploited the near total collapse of Palestinian Authority forces in Gaza, to take over[93] control ofGaza, ousting Fatah officials. President Mahmoud Abbas then dismissed the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority

government.[94] and outlawed the Hamas militia.[95]

Immediately upon the conclusion of the Battle of Gaza, Israel imposed an economic blockade on Gaza, and Hamas

repeatedly launched rocket attacks upon areas of Israel near its border with Gaza because of the blockade.[13]

At least 600 Palestinians died in fighting between Hamas and Fatah.[96] Human Rights Watch, a U.S.-based group,

accused both sides in the conflict of torture and war crimes.[97]

Gaza War

On June 17, 2008, Egyptian mediators announced that an informal truce had been agreed to between Hamas and

Israel.[98][99] Hamas agreed to cease rocket attacks on Israel, while Israel agreed to allow limited commercialshipping across its border with Gaza, barring any breakdown of the tentative peace deal; Hamas also hinted that it

would discuss the release of Gilad Shalit.[100] Israeli sources state that Hamas also committed itself to enforce the

ceasefire on the other Palestinian organizations.[101]

While Hamas was careful to maintain the ceasefire, the lull was sporadically violated by other groups, sometimes in

defiance of Hamas.[101][102][103] For example, on June 24 Islamic Jihad launched rockets at the Israeli town ofSderot; Israel called the attack a grave violation of the informal truce, and closed its border crossings with

Gaza.[104]

On November 4, 2008, Israeli forces, stating they were attempting to stop construction of a tunnel, killed six

Hamas gunmen in a raid inside the Gaza Strip.[105][106] Hamas responded with increased rocket attacks, a total of

190 rockets in November according to Israel's military, up from two in each of the preceding months.[107]

With the six-month truce officially expired on December 19, Hamas launched 50 to more than 70 rockets and

mortars into Israel over the next three days, though no Israelis were injured.[108][109] On December 21, Hamas saidit was ready to stop the attacks and renew the truce if Israel stopped its "aggression" in Gaza and opened up its

border crossings.[109] The previous six weeks had seen a "dramatic increase" in attacks from Hamas.[110]

On December 27 and 28, the Operation Cast Lead attack on Gaza was launched, killing over 280 and injuring 600

in its first two days, according to Palestinian officials.[111] Most were Hamas police and security officers, though

many civilians also died.[111] According to Israel, militant training camps, rocket-manufacturing facilities andweapons warehouses that had been pre-identified were hit, and later they attacked rocket and mortar squads who

fired around 180 rockets and mortars at Israeli communities.[112] Chief of Gaza police force Tawfiq Jabber, head

of the General Security Service Salah Abu Shrakh,[113] senior religious authority and security officer Nizar

Rayyan,[114] and Interior Minister Said Seyam[115] were among those killed during the fighting. Although Israel sentout thousands of cell-phone messages urging residents of Gaza to leave houses where weapons may be stored, in

an attempt to minimise civilian casualties,[112] some residents complained there was nowhere to go because many

neighborhoods had received the same message.[112][116][117] Israeli bombs landed close to civilian structures such

as schools,[118][119] and some alleged that Israel was deliberately targeting Palestinian civilians.[120]

Israel declared a unilateral ceasefire on January 17, 2009.[121] Hamas responded the following day by announcing

a one-week ceasefire to give Israel time to withdraw its forces from the Gaza Strip.[122] Between 1,166 and 1,400

Palestinians and 13[?] were killed in the conflict.[123][124]

After the Gaza War

On August 16, 2009, Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal stated that the organization is ready to open dialogue with theObama administration because its policies are much better than those of former US president George W. Bush: "Aslong as there's a new language, we welcome it, but we want to see not only a change of language, but also a changeof policies on the ground. We have said that we are prepared to cooperate with the US or any other international

party that would enable the Palestinians to get rid of occupation."[125] Despite this, an August 30, 2009, speech

during a visit to Jordan[126] in which Mashaal expressed support for the Palestinian right of return was interpretedby David Pollock of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy as a sign that "Hamas has now clearly opted out

of diplomacy."[127] However, in a rare and widely cited video interview with Charlie Rose on May 28, 2010,Mashaal expressed his view that a right of return (to a Palestinian state outside Israel's 1967 boundaries) wasconsistent with diplomacy toward a two-state solution, saying that "if Israel withdraws to the borders of 1967, itdoesn’t mean that it gives us back all the land of the Palestinians. But we do consider this as an acceptable solution

to have a Palestinian state on the borders of 1967. Hamas accepts a Palestinian state on the borders of 1967 withits capital Jerusalem and with the right of return. This stand by Hamas is announced, practiced, and it signed an

agreement with Fatah, which is the national compact document."[128][129]

The August 2, 2010 rocket attack on Eilat and Aqaba sparked rage in Egypt at Hamas and Iran. The Egyptianpress stated that the firing of the rockets from Egyptian territory by Hamas or by organizations cooperating with itconstituted the crossing of a red line. The Egyptian position was that Iran is using Hamas as a local proxy toescalate violence in the Middle East and to sabotage the Palestinian reconciliation efforts, as well as efforts to renew

Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations.[130]

In February 2010, Palestinian Authority security forces in the West Bank arrested a Hamas cell preparing to test-fire a Qassam rocket near Ramallah and handed the rocket over to Israel. Hamas later stated that "Having a

Qassam rocket in the West Bank is a demand that must be achieved".[131][132]

On June 20, 2010, senior Hamas official Mahmoud a-Zahar called on Palestinian residents of the West Bank to fire

rockets into Israel.[133]

Islamization of the Gaza Strip (2007–present)

Since Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, some of its members have attempted to impose Islamic dress

or the Hijab head covering on women.[134][135] Also, the government’s "Islamic Endowment Ministry" hasdeployed Virtue Committee members to warn citizens of the dangers of immodest dress, card playing and

dating.[136] However, there are no government laws imposing dress and other moral standards, and the Hamas

education ministry reversed one effort to impose Islamic dress on students.[134] There has also been successful

resistance to attempts by local Hamas officials to impose Islamic dress on women.[137]

According to Human Rights Watch, the Hamas-controlled government of Gaza stepped up its efforts to "Islamize"Gaza in 2010, efforts that included, according to the organization, the "repression of civil society" and "severe

violations of personal freedom."[138]

Palestinian researcher Dr. Khaled Al-Hroub has criticized what he called the "Taliban-like steps" Hamas has taken.He wrote, "The Islamization that has been forced upon the Gaza Strip–the suppression of social, cultural, and pressfreedoms that do not suit Hamas's view[s]–is an egregious deed that must be opposed. It is the reenactment, under

a religious guise, of the experience of [other] totalitarian regimes and dictatorships.[139]

Hamas officials denied having any plans to impose Islamic law, one legislator stating that “What you are seeing are

incidents, not policy,” and that Islamic law is the desired standard "but we believe in persuasion.”[136] The Hamas

education ministry reversed one effort to impose Islamic dress on students.[134]

2011

In 2011, Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas administration in the Gaza Strip, condemned the killing of Osama Bin

Laden by American forces, praising bin Laden as a "martyr" and an "Arab holy warrior".[140]

Brief timeline

1984 Arrest of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, sentenced to 12 years of prison after the discovery of an arms cache.

Yassin is freed the next year.

1987 Creation of Hamas by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.

1987–1993 First Intifada.

1988 Hamas Covenant.

1989 Israel outlaws Hamas and imprisons Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.

1991 Gulf War.

1992 Creation of the military branch Izz ad-Din al-Qassam.

1993 Oslo Accords.

April 1993. First Hamas suicide bombing at Mehola Junction.

Palestinian legislative and presidential election, 1996. Hamas boycotts them, allowing Fatah, led by Yasser

Arafat, a large victory.

January 5, 1996. Targeted killing of Yahya Ayyash, Hamas bomb maker.

February–March 1996. 47 Israelis killed in three different bombings.

October 1997. Freed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for "humanitarian reasons" (actually, due to the

botched killing attempt on Khaled Mashal, on September 25, 1997, by the Mossad in Jordan, a deal was

brokered by Bill Clinton between Israel and Jordan) Sheikh Yassin is acclaimed as a hero on his return to

Gaza.

March 1998 – Death of Mohiyedine Sharif, master bombmaker

September 2000. Beginning of Al-Aqsa Intifada.

July 2002. Killing of Salah Shahade, leader of the Ezzedeen-al-qassam brigades.

March 8, 2003, Israel kills Ibrahim al-Makadmeh, a leader of the Hamas's military wing. 3 other men are

also killed[141]

January 6, 2004. 10 year truce (hudna) offered by senior Hamas official Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi in exchange

of Israel's complete withdrawal to the 1967 borders.

March 22, 2004, killing of Sheikh Yassin. Yassin, then an old man restricted to a wheel-chair due to his

lifelong paralysis was killed in an Israeli missile strike. Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi replaced him as the leader of

Hamas. On March 28, Rantissi stated in a speech given at The Islamic University in Gaza that "America

declared war against God. Sharon declared war against God, and God declared war against America, Bush

and Sharon".[142]

April 17, 2004, killing of Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi. Rantissi was also killed in an air strike by the Israeli Air

Force, five hours after a fatal suicide bombing by Hamas. Khaled Mashal, the leader of Hamas in Syria, said

Hamas should not disclose the name of its next leader in Gaza.

April 18, 2004, Hamas secretly selected a new leader in the Gaza Strip, fearing he would be killed if his

identity were made public. However, it was speculated that the new leader is Mahmoud al-Zahar; the

second-in-command, Ismail Haniya; and third-in-command, Said Seyam.[143]

September 2004. Israeli army Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon said that Israel would "deal with [...] those who

support terrorism", including those in "terror command posts in Damascus".

September 26, 2004. Killing of Izz El-Deen Sheikh Khalil. Sheikh Khalil was killed by a car bomb in

Damascus, Syria. Khalil was described variously as "mid-level", "senior", a "distinguished member", and

believed to be in charge of the group's military wing outside the Palestinian territories. Although the Israeli

government offered no official confirmation, anonymous Israeli officials acknowledged responsibility for the

attack. In a statement released in Gaza, Hamas threatened to target Israelis abroad in retaliation.

October 2004. Killing of Adnan al-Ghoul, assistant of Mohammed Deif, the leader of the Izz ad-Din al-

Qassam brigades.

November 11, 2004. Death of Yasser Arafat, chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and

president of the Palestinian National Authority.

January 2005 Palestinian presidential election. Hamas boycotts them. PLO chairman Mahmoud Abbas

elected to replace Yasser Arafat.

Palestinian municipal elections, January–May 2005. Relative success of Hamas, which took control of Beit

Lahia in northern Gaza, Qalqilyah in the West Bank and Rafah.

March 2005. Hamas proclaims tahdiyah, a period of calm.

January 25, 2006. Victory of the Hamas at the legislative election, which took 74 seats of the 132 seats.

March 2007, the Palestinian Legislative Council established a national unity government headed by Ismail

Haniya.

June 2007. Hamas begins a takeover of Gaza, ending the coalition with Fatah.

See also

Hamas

Israel-Palestinian conflict

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2. ^ The New Hamas: Between Resistance and Participation. Middle East Report. Graham Usher, August 21, 2005

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AjU3rraQC&dq=%22Mujama+al-Islamiya%22+israel+charity&source=gbs_navlinks_s) Matthew Levitt & Dennis

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2010.

23. ^ Rubenberg, C., Palestinian Women: Patriarchy and Resistance in the West Bank (USA, 2001) p.230-231

24. ^ Martyrdom, Not Suicide: The Legality of Hamas' Bombings in the Mid-1990s in Modern Islamic Jurisprudence

(http://books.google.com/books?

id=7ZPQm5cQ4AwC&dq=Mehola+Junction+bombing+islamic+jihad&source=gbs_navlinks_s) By M.A. Philipp

Holtmann, p. 13

25. ^ al-Qassam Brigades: Details of the organisation

(http://www.nationalsecurity.gov.au/agd/WWW/nationalsecurity.nsf/Page/What_Governments_are_doing_Listing_

of_Terrorism_Organisations_Hamas&apos) Australian Government National Security September 15, 2009

26. ^ For suicide attacks, sources include:

"To the outside world, Hamas is best-known — infamous — for its reliance on suicide bombers."

(Palestinian territories:Inside Hamas

(http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/palestine503/video_index.html), PBS Frontline: World, May 9,

2006)

"...the militant organization, best known abroad for its attacks against Israeli civilians..." (Musharbash,

Yassin. "Could Victory be Undoing of Hamas" (http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,397664,00.html),

Der Spiegel, January 27, 2006)

"...it was best known in Israel and abroad for the suicide attacks it used..." ("After the Hamas earthquake"

(http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/comment/0,,1696094,00.html), The Guardian, January 27, 2006).

27. ^ Martyrdom, Not Suicide: The Legality of Hamas' Bombings in the Mid-1990s in Modern Islamic Jurisprudence

(http://books.google.com/books?

id=7ZPQm5cQ4AwC&dq=Mehola+Junction+bombing+islamic+jihad&source=gbs_navlinks_s) By M.A. Philipp

Holtmann, p. 16

28. ̂a b The Palestinian people: a history (http://books.google.com/books?

id=6NRYEr8FR1IC&dq=%22black+hand%22+al-qassam+british+palestine&source=gbs_navlinks_s) By Baruch

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29. ^ For Arabs in Israel, a house is not a home (http://www.newstatesman.com/middle-east/2010/08/israel-

palestinian-jerusalem) by Edward Platt, New Statesman, August 30, 2010

30. ^ Inside Hamas: the untold story of militants, martyrs and spies (http://books.google.com/books?

id=rWEg6Tfai_oC&dq=arafat+israel+hamas&source=gbs_navlinks_s) By Zaki Chehab, p. 115

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The UN Refugee Agency, 2004

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216.

33. ̂a b "Jordan curbs Hamas" (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/1999/nov/22/israel), The Guardian, November 22,

1999

34. ̂a b Hamas Leader Khaled Mashaal (http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1869481,00.html) Time,

January 4, 2009

35. ̂a b Jordan: Whether Hamas persecute, kidnap, torture or abuse with impunity Jordanian citizens who disagree

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Press, 2007. p.45

37. ^ Who carried out suicide bombing? (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2001/aug/10/israel2) The Guardian,

August 10, 2001

38. ^ B'Tselem – Statistics – Fatalities (http://www.btselem.org/English/Statistics/Casualties.asp), B'Tselem.

39. ^ Human Capital and the Productivity of Suicide Bombers pdf

(http://www.economics.harvard.edu/faculty/benmelech/files/JEP_0807.pdf) Journal of Economic Perspectives

Volume 21, Number 3, Summer 2007. Pages 223–238

40. ^ The Second Intifada: Background and Causes of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

(http://www.lib.unb.ca/Texts/JCS/Fall03/pressman.pdf) Jeremy Pressman, Fall 2003 (pdf)

41. ̂a b c Running out of time (http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2004/675/re1.htm) Al-Ahram Weekly January 29 –

February 4, 2004

42. ̂a b Israel rejects 'insincere' Hamas offer of 10-year truce (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-

east/israel-rejects-insincere-hamas-offer-of-10year-truce-574542.html) The Independent January 27, 2004

43. ^ Fury as Gaza buries Hamas leader (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3636207.stm) BBCNews April 19,

2004

44. ^ Hamas chief killed in air strike (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3556099.stm) BBCNews March 22, 2004

45. ^ "Deadly Hebron cell caught" (http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3211836,00.html). Y Net News.

February 6, 2006.

46. ^ "Shin Bet cracks Hamas terror cell" (http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?

cid=1138622559871&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull). The Jerusalem Post. February 6, 2006.

47. ̂a b Les très secrètes 'relations' Israël-Hamas (The very secret Israel-Hamas 'relations'), Le Canard Enchaîné,

February 1, 2006 (issue n°4449) (French)

48. ^ Price, Matthew (May 13, 2005). "Hamas success in Fatah heartland"

(http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4541383.stm). BBC News. Retrieved January 5, 2010.

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why negotiations must resume" (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?

file=/chronicle/archive/2006/02/08/EDGURH4I5P1.DTL). San Francisco Chronicle.

50. ^ "Israel: Sharon the blessed" (http://mondediplo.com/2006/02/03sharon). Le Monde Diplomatique. February 2006.

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id=291). Elections.ps. January 29, 2006. Retrieved October 28, 2010.

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May 10, 2006. Retrieved May 10, 2006. (French)

53. ^ "Hamas rejects 'unfair' aid demand" (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4664152.stm), BBC News, January

31, 2006

54. ̂a b c d (French) "Le Quartet cherche une solution à la banqueroute palestinienne"

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2006.

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Categories: Hamas Muslim Brotherhood

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