Hamas

A Weaponizing the Law Conference in the Gaza Strip to discuss the legal battle against Israel

Within the framework of the legal battle the Palestinians are waging against the State of Israel, on March 18, 2023, a conference was held in the Gaza Strip with the theme, "Jurists Confronting the Occupier." Speakers at the conference stressed the importance of using the law to attack Israel, claiming it was no less important than the "military" and political activities against it. The conference offered recommendations, including the need to use the law as a weapon against Israel as a fundamental "resistance" [anti-Israeli activity] method at every level and in international forums. Using the law as a weapon against Israel is not new, and for years has been an integral part of the political "struggle" waged by the Palestinian Authority (PA) and often part of its activity to delegitimize Israel. The political, propaganda and military objectives are the following: Read more...

Hamas threatens escalation and encourages terrorist attacks during Ramadan

Ramadan officially begin on March 23, 2023 and end on April 21, 2023. Given the current tension in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem and the events of past years, Palestinian sources, especially in the Hamas leadership, reiterate that the situation is unstable and likely to deteriorate sharply. They threaten escalation and worse if Israel continues its "activities against the Palestinians and al-Aqsa mosque," for them the red line which could ignite the region. Marwan Issa, the deputy head of Hamas' military-terrorist wing, gave a rare interview where he claimed that any change in the status quo of al-Aqsa would cause "a regional earthquake." The security prisoners in Israeli jails also claimed they would go on hunger strikes throughout the month. Read more...

Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (March 15-21, 2023)

This past week Palestinian terrorists carried out two attacks in Judea and Samaria. The Israeli security forces continued counterterrorism activities, focusing on Jenin, four Palestinians were killed. On March 18, 2023 a rocket was launched into Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip. A Hamas delegation headed by Musa Abu Marzouq visited Moscow and met with the Russian deputy foreign minister. A Hamas delegation headed by Isma'il Haniyeh visited Algeria. Saleh al-'Arouri, deputy head of Hamas' political bureau, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) leader Ziyad al-Nakhalah met in Lebanon with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. In preparation for the Muslim religious month of Ramadan, Israel announced a series measures to ease conditions for the Palestinian population. Read more...

Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (March 8-14, 2023)

This past week four terrorist attacks were carried out in Judea, Samaria and inside Israel. The most serious was a shooting attack in Tel Aviv in which three Israeli civilian were wounded. The Israeli security forces' counterterrorism activities were focused Jenin and Nablus in Samaria; 16 Palestinians were killed, most of them terrorist operatives. A rocket was fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip. An IED exploded near an IDF bulldozer engaged in activities near the border security fence in the southern Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Authority (PA) leadership continues diplomatic activity. Fuad al-Shubaki was released from an Israeli prison after serving a term of 17 years for involvement in an attempt to smuggle arms from Iran to the. Read more...

Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (March 1-7, 2023)

This past week there was a shooting attack at the Beit Hagai Junction (south of Hebron); one Israeli was wounded. The Israeli security forces continued their counterterrorism activities, focusing on the Aqabat Jabr refugee camp near Jericho and detaining the terrorists who shot and killed an Israeli on February 27, 2023. During the activity one Palestinian was killed. Palestinians continued throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at Israeli vehicles driving on the roads in Judea and Samaria. The Gaza Strip remained relatively quiet. After several delays, the envoy from Qatar arrived to discuss the renewal of the Qatari donation of funds. The law for giving terrorists the death penalty, which passed its first vote in the Knesset, led to a series of strong condemnations in the Palestinian Authority (PA), including calls for a mass uprising and threats against Israel. Read more...

Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (February 22-28, 2023)

This past week Palestinians carried out seven terrorist attacks in Judea and Samaria, killing three Israeli civilians: Fourteen Israelis have been killed since the beginning of the year. Following the shooting attack in Hawwara, Israeli settlers entered the town and burned Palestinian houses, public property and vehicles. The heightened tension resulted in an increase in the number of rocks and Molotov cocktails thrown at Israeli vehicles. Six rockets were launched at Israel from the Gaza Strip. Five were intercepted by Iron Dome aerial defense system and one fell in an open area. A political-security summit meeting was held by representatives from Egypt, Jordan, the United States, Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) in an effort to calm the situation. Read more...

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Hamas

Hamas is a fundamentalist Sunni Muslim organization founded in the Gaza Strip in 1987 by members of the Muslim Brotherhood. It seeks to establish an Islamic state on the entire territory of the State of Israel and does not recognize Israel’s right to exist.

The Hamas leadership has two branches: the internal leadership, which includes the military wing and the de-facto Hamas administration in the Gaza Strip, responsible for the day-to-day activities of governing the Gaza Strip population, in addition to social, educational activity vis-à-vis the population of the Gaza Strip; and the external leadership, Hamas’s political bureau, located beyond the borders of the Gaza Strip and Judea and Samaria. The external leadership maintains relations with various countries and bodies, and deals mainly with raising money and finding other resources for Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas’s ideology seeks to establish an Islamic Palestinian state on the entire territory of Israel. The preferred way to achieve this goal is through armed struggle. Hamas has a military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, which carries out terrorist attacks against Israel, including rocket fire from the Gaza Strip and various kinds of other attacks (such as shooting, suicide bombings, abductions etc.) in the territories of Judea, Samaria and Israel.

Over the years, Hamas has challenged the PLO and the Palestinian Authority, causing conflicts between the sides, culminating in June 2007 with Hamas’s violent takeover of the Gaza Strip and the suppression of Fatah and the Palestinian Authority members. Ever since, the rift between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority has grown.

Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by several countries, including Israel, the United States, and the European Union.