Hamas
Hamas is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood that emerged in the Gaza Strip in the late 1980s. The group’s ideology blends Islamism and Palestinian nationalism and seeks the destruction of Israel and the creation of an Islamic state.
Hamas and the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict
As of May 21, 2021, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) had launched more than 4,000 rockets toward southern Israel, Tel Aviv, and Jerusalem, killing at 12 and wounding at least 330. In Gaza, the Hamas-run health ministry reported at least 232 people had been killed. Israel claims at least 120 of those people killed belonged to Hamas while 25 belonged to PIJ. On May 20, Hamas and Israel agreed to a ceasefire, which went into effect on May 21. The fighting was the worst between Hamas and Israel since their 2014 war.
Leaders
Chief of Political Bureau, former deputy leader of Hamas, Hamas’s former prime minister of Gaza, former prime minister of the Palestinian Authority (deceased)
Head of Hamas’s Diaspora Office; Deputy Leader; Former Chief of Hamas’s Political Bureau
Palestinian Islamic Jihad
Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) is a Palestinian Islamist terrorist group sponsored by Iran and Syria. Founded in 1979 as an offshoot of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, PIJ is the second-largest terrorist group in Gaza today (after Hamas).
Muslim Brotherhood in the Palestinian Territories
The Muslim Brotherhood’s presence in the Palestinian territories dates back to the 1960s, when the group established a set of charities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
News and Blogs
Daily Dose
Extremists: Their Words. Their Actions.
Fact:
On May 8, 2019, Taliban insurgents detonated an explosive-laden vehicle and then broke into American NGO Counterpart International’s offices in Kabul. At least seven people were killed and 24 were injured.
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