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To understand the conflict between Israel and Hamas, it is important to take a look into the History of how Hamas came to control Gaza.
Hamas was formed in 1987, at the beginning of the first Intifada. They began as a Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, and their charter calls for an Islamic Palestinian state in place of Israel. Additionally, they reject any PLO agreements made with Israel that allow for co-existing Israel and Palestinian states. The Hamas military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, have been responsible for many anti-Israel terror attacks since the 1990s, many in an effort to derail any potential peace treaties that were in the works. Due to these terror tactics, Hamas is marked as a designated terror organization in many western countries.
In 2005, after Israel unilaterally disengaged from the Gaza Strip, the more secular PLO faction, Fatah, was in control of the area. On January 25, 2006, the first Palestinian legislative elections were held and Hamas won with a 56% majority. Following the elections there were a series of violent attacks between Hamas and Fatah, with Hamas murdering PLO operatives and taking control of the Gaza Strip. In this process, Hamas continued to brutally execute dozens of its opponents, and reports from the Palestinian Independent Commission for Citizens’ Rights found that over 600 Palestinians were killed in fighting between January 2006 through May 2007. The 2006 election was the first and last election in the Gaza Strip, with Hamas controlling the entire territory ever since.
Unlike Fatah, Hamas rejects the strategy of negotiations with Israel and instead encourages armed resistance. One of Hamas’s most popular strategies is indiscriminate rocket launches toward Israeli cities. The majority of these rockets are aimed at the communities that directly border the Gaza Strip, though in the past several years the arsenal has expanded to more far-reaching rockets aimed towards major city centers such as Tel Aviv, Beer Sheva, Jerusalem and more. Due to Israel’s investment in the Iron Dome air defense system, the civilian death toll from these rockets is quite low, however the psychological impact and fear that they instill is high.
Besides their brutal tactics against Israeli citizens, Hamas’s treatment of Palestinians is equally if not more ruthless. The terrorist organization rules the Palestinians with an iron fist, allowing no room for disagreement or opposing opinions. Hamas employs the Majd security forces, responsible for carrying out brutal campaigns of abductions, torture and unlawful killing of Palestinians who are thought to be collaborating with Israel. Attempts of uprising against Hamas’s government by Palestinians were met with violence and arrests. And human rights for Palestinian citizens are non-existent under Hamas rule. For example, homosexuality is punishable by death and child marriage and domestic violence are common place.
While Hamas began as the elected officials of the Gaza Strip, their control is anything but democratic. They are a terrorist organization who hide amongst the citizens of Gaza and use the Palestinian people as tools for their terror tactics. Whether that includes employing child laborers to build their terror infrastructure of underground tunnels, using homes, schools, mosques or hospitals as military storage and tactical locations, or literally standing behind women and children to be shielded from Israeli military responses. When looking at the history of Hamas’s rule in Gaza, one thing is clear, we must free Palestine from Hamas if there is any hope for the future of both Palestinian and Israeli societies.
On This Topic 👁️
The US National Counterterrorism Center’s Counterterrorism Guide | A history of Hamas
UNFPA | Gender based violence in Palestinian territories
https://palestine.unfpa.org/en/gender-based-violence
AP Archives | See the Fatah-Hamas battle for Gaza
MEMRI TV | See Abbas speak out against Hamas in 2009