What and Who is HAMAS?

As the war with Gaza rages on, many are beginning to ask this question: “Who is Hamas?” The understanding of who this group is and what they stand for vary from crowd to crowd. Are they fighting for the freedom of the Palestinians in the “Occupied Territories”? Are they a rag-tag group of hoodlums who haphazardly harm people? Or are they a known, hostile, terrorist entity with leadership, footsoldiers, and the intention of harming any and all Jews as they attempt to obliterate the entirety of the land of Israel?

The societal understanding of Hamas is not as cut and dry as it should be. The US recognized Hamas as a terror organization in 1997 and still does today, but the UN does not recognize Hamas as a terror organization. You read that right: the UN does not recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization. This is despite the continued terror attacks, suicide bombings, kidnappings, and additional atrocities they’ve inflicted against many people, especially the Jewish people.

What’s the History of Hamas?

Hamas’ history is relatively modern when one considers the long history of Israel and its enemies. According to the US Director of National Intelligence, the group now known as Hamas was founded in late 1987 during the first Palestinian Intifada and has had the intention of establishing an Islamic Palestinian State in the place of Israel since its conception. 

The branches of Hamas’ governing system are far from unorganized and uncalculated. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, the government stretches from Gaza to Judea and Samaria throughout jails, welfare systems, governing bodies, and nearly every other societal foothold. While the current leader, Ismail Haniyeh, is operating out of Qatar, the now deceased founder, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, received his zeal for violence during his time in Cairo, Egypt with the Muslim Brotherhood. Since Hamas’ origins begin with the Muslim Brotherhood, to truly understand Hamas ideology we must also understand the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood.

What is the Muslim Brotherhood?

The Muslim Brotherhood began shortly after the fall of the Ottoman Empire. Despite the group denouncing terrorism, a quote like this from the founder of the Brotherhood, Hasan al-Banna, alludes to a different ideology: “It is the nature of Islam to dominate, not to be dominated, to impose its law on all nations and to extend its power to the entire planet.”  

Even more incriminating is the organization’s motto:  “Allah is our objective. The Prophet is our leader. Qur’an is our law. Jihad is our way. Dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope.”

The Muslim Brotherhood has directly produced some of the most vile terrorists known in history and this fact hasn’t changed in the modern climate. The Brotherhood is still producing and encouraging its members to engage in and incite acts of violence against many people groups. Despite their efforts to claim that they have become less violent than in prior years, in September 2010, Muhammad Badi’ gave a sermon in which he said, “… the improvement and change that the [Muslim] nation seeks can only be attained through jihad and sacrifice and by raising a jihadi generation that pursues death, just as the enemies pursue life.”

Hamas’ beginnings in 1987 initiated many speculations that it would not be as violent as its predecessor; these hopes were, unfortunately, crushed. HAMAS is an acronym meaning “Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya (Islamic Resistance Movement) according to the Director of National Intelligence . This name alludes to the idea that they’re fighting against an oppressive situation; however, their true intentions are vividly clear. The Jewish Virtual Library lays out this grouping of quotes in a concise and easily understandable way: 

“In the published Islamic Covenant, it states that “there is no solution for the Palestinian question except through jihad (holy war).” The group warns that any Muslim who leaves “the circle of struggle with Zionism” is guilty of “high treason.” Hamas’ platform calls for creating an Islamic republic in Palestine to replace Israel. Muslims should “raise the banner of Allah over every inch of Palestine.” 

Even though they may claim to be fighting for freedom from oppression, it is clear to see their intentions are to dominate Israel and every Jew living within it.

In the Hamas Covenant, their intentions against Israel and the Jewish people become even clearer in this excerpt: “The Day of Judgment will not come about until Muslims fight Jews and kill them. Then, the Jews will hide behind rocks and trees, and the rocks and trees will cry out: ‘O Muslim, there is a Jew hiding behind me, come and kill him.’”

The degree to which the ideology of Hamas and its affiliate, the Muslim Brotherhood, has penetrated nearly every societal setting in many Palestinian territories within the Gaza Strip, Judea, and Samaria is frightening. Just as the Muslim Brotherhood spread its agenda across many nations throughout the world, Hamas has spread its agenda within Israel and many of the surrounding countries. The violent, tyrannical ideology is found in mosques, schools, and politics. Hamas’ operations are also found in countries like Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt.

It may be easy to think that their vile intentions cannot come to fruition due to lack of manpower and organization, but the reality is far more concerning. Hamas has approximately 25,000 members and an orderly, organized hierarchy and political system within their tyrannical terror.

What Do These Origins Mean?

We’ve established that Hamas’ intentions are less than peaceful, but somehow the international community still doesn’t unilaterally consider Hamas a terrorist organization. The EU has recognized Hamas as a terrorist organization and the US designated it a terrorist entity nearly 30 years ago, but countries such as the UK and Australia only designated it as such in recent years. Despite the many years of terror inflicted by Hamas, Switzerland just made the decision to designate Hamas as a terrorist organization following the October 7th attack on Israel. Countries like Turkey and Iran continue to support Hamas by means of funding and allowing senior personnel to operate out of their countries.

As mentioned prior, the UN, abhorrently, still refuses to designate Hamas as a terrorist organization even during this uptick in violence from Hamas toward Israel. Despite the call to action from US Senator Susan Collins urging this designation and multiple countries taking renewed initiative against this hostile entity, the UN’s lack of action remains consistent with their historical trend of opposing Israel.

The world must not allow this irreverence of life to continue and instead recognize Hamas as what it truly is. Every individual must share Hamas’ heinous plans with others and no longer allow this false narrative of Hamas fighting for freedom to continue in any circle. It is long overdue that every person acknowledges that Hamas’ aggression toward Israel makes it a substantial terrorist organization. 

Hamas’ intentions are not currently, and have never been to free the “oppressed Palestinians.” From the early beginnings of the organization, their nefarious intentions have been to destroy all Jewish life, Jewish presence, the Jewish state, and all individuals who support a Zionist cause. The pushed concept that Hamas is fighting and murdering for a “good” cause must not continue to penetrate the minds of innocent, susceptible people. As the world powers are beginning to acknowledge Hamas for its true intentions, that notion must also be acknowledged in every community across the world.