A History of Hamas

What It Covers

Throughline traces Hamas from its 1987 founding during the First Intifada through its 2007 Gaza takeover, examining its origins in the Muslim Brotherhood, evolution into armed resistance, and role in derailing peace negotiations.

Key Questions Answered

• •Organizational Origins: Hamas emerged from the Muslim Brotherhood's Gaza charity Al Mujama Al Islamiyah, initially licensed by Israel in 1979 for social services before transforming into armed resistance during the 1987 Intifada, distinguishing itself from secular Palestinian groups through Islamist ideology.
• •Strategic Shift After Deportation: Israel's 1992 deportation of 415 Hamas members to Lebanon backfired when Hezbollah trained them in suicide bombing tactics and car bombs, which Hamas imported back to Palestine, fundamentally escalating their military capabilities and resistance methods against Israeli occupation.
• •Electoral Victory Consequences: Hamas won the 2005 Palestinian elections democratically but faced immediate US-EU-Israeli boycott for refusing to recognize Israel, leading to economic siege, internal Palestinian civil war with Fatah, and Hamas's 2007 forcible takeover of Gaza Strip governance.
• •Blockade Calculations: Israel implemented calorie-counting policies to maintain Gaza's 2 million residents above starvation but below prosperity, creating one of Earth's most densely populated areas with 50% unemployment while Hamas diverted international aid toward military infrastructure instead of civilian development.