WHO IS HAMAS?

WHO IS HAMAS? Most people hear the name Hamas constantly without knowing who they are. Hamas means Islamic Resistance Movement. It was founded in 1987 as an offshoot of the Palestinian Muslim Brotherhood. Hamas isn’t another name for the Palestinian people. It’s an Islamist organization with a political operation and an armed wing called the al-Qassam Brigades. Its original charter identifies Hamas with the Muslim Brotherhood, calls the land between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea an Islamic possession, and demands the destruction of Israel. It also repeats vicious antisemitic conspiracy theories and quotes an Islamic tradition about Muslims killing Jews. Israel didn’t write that description. Hamas did. A more polished document appeared in 2017, but Hamas still refused to recognize Israel and defended armed resistance. The language changed. The objective didn’t. Hamas won Palestinian elections in 2006 and violently seized Gaza from Fatah in 2007. Its armed wing has carried out suicide bombings, rocket attacks, kidnappings, and deliberate attacks against civilians. The United States has designated Hamas a Foreign Terrorist Organization since 1997. On October 7, 2023, Hamas and other armed groups invaded Israel, slaughtered more than 1,200 people, and kidnapped around 250. They attacked homes, roads, communities, and a music festival. Children and elderly civilians were murdered. Women suffered sexual violence. Entire families were wiped out. Some attackers recorded their own crimes. Hamas operates from Gaza, not near the Strait of Hormuz. The connection is Iran. Iran has supplied Hamas with money, weapons, training, and technical support. It also backs Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen. These groups allow Iran to attack Israel, threaten shipping, and spread chaos without sending its own army into every fight. Hamas attacks from densely populated areas and builds military infrastructure among civilians. It knows Israel will respond and knows dead Palestinians will be used to turn world opinion against Israel. It murders Israelis while spending Palestinian lives to do it. Then it calls itself the defender of Gaza. Hamas has brought misery to both Israelis and Palestinians. Nothing resembling peace will come out of Gaza while a terrorist organization keeps sacrificing another generation in its attempt to destroy Israel. “Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.” Psalm 34:14 KJV #MoreJoyMinistries