Hamas (Islamic Resistance Movement), abbreviated as "Hamas", was founded in 1987 and is an Islamic movement and political party in Palestine. Hamas enjoys broad support among the Palestinian people, especially Muslims sympathetic to Palestine, who tend to see Hamas as a hero of resistance to Israeli aggression. However, in the pro-Israel Western world, Hamas is often labeled as a terrorist organization.
Hamas, formerly known as the "Islamic Federation", was founded in 1978 to counter Egypt's repression of the Muslim Brotherhood. In 1987, with the outbreak of the first intifada, Hamas was formally formed, and its leadership consisted mainly of Palestinians in exile, including Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and Aziz al-Rantisi.
Hamas's main goal is to establish a Palestinian state based on Sharia law and is adamantly opposed to Israel's existence. Hamas believes that the establishment of Israel is a violation of the sovereignty of the Palestinian people and an illegal occupation of Palestinian territory, and must therefore be eliminated in order to establish an Islamic theocracy in areas such as what is now Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. To achieve this, Hamas has resorted to force, including suicide bombings and rocket attacks.
Since its inception, there have been several conflicts between Hamas and Israel, the most notable of which include the Gaza War in 2008-2009 and the Gaza Conflict in 2014. During these conflicts, Hamas fired thousands of rockets and mortar shells into Israel, causing damage to Israeli civilians and property. At the same time, Israel has also carried out heavy military strikes on the Gaza Strip, resulting in a large number of Palestinian civilians**.
Despite the widespread support of Hamas among the Palestinian people, the manner in which Hamas used force has also drawn widespread condemnation from the international community. Suicide bombings and rocket attacks by Hamas are considered by many countries and international organizations to be acts of terrorism because they target civilians and non-military targets.
However, Hamas has also carried out a number of social service activities, such as education, health care and charity, which have won it the support of some of the population. In the 2006 Palestinian legislative elections, Hamas won a majority of seats and became the majority party in the Palestinian Legislative Council.
In general, Hamas is a religiously charged Palestinian political and military organization whose goal is to establish a Palestinian state based on Sharia law and oppose the existence of Israel. Despite the international community's condemnation of its use of force, Hamas enjoys broad support among the Palestinian people.