The classification of the Hamas group remains a subject of contention. While the United States officially categorizes Hamas as a terrorist organization, others characterize it as a resistance movement. Notably, the United Nations has refrained from making an official classification.
"The U.N. Security Council votes to impose sanctions and designations on groups like Al Qaeda, the Taliban or ISIS. But no such sanctions or designations exist for Iran’s axis of terror groups, including Hamas and Hezbollah," Richard Goldberg, senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said in an interview with Fox News.
Hamas, short for "Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya" and translates to the "Islamic Resistance Movement," is a Sunni Islamist political and military organization that governs the Gaza Strip within the Palestinian Territories. Hamas also maintains a notable presence in the West Bank, the larger of the two Palestinian territories, which is under the control of the Fatah party and overseen by the Palestine Liberation Organization (P.L.O.).
Article 9 of the ‘Charter of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) of Palestine,’* published in 1988, highlights the objectives of the Hamas movement as the following: “The Islamic Resistance movement is a link in [a long] chain of the Jihad against the Zionist occupation.”
However, Hamas claims to act as a resistance against Israeli occupation and expansion into Palestinian territory. Israel has currently cut off Gaza’s access to electricity, fuel, water, medical supplies, and food, worsening Gaza’s already dire economic situation.
According to data published by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, 81.5% of Gazans live below the national poverty line, 64% of citizens are food insecure, and 80% rely on humanitarian assistance. As of 2021, 47% of citizens were unemployed, with an overall youth unemployment rate of 64%.
Furthermore, between 2007 and 2022, nearly 300 of the water wells in Gaza used for both domestic consumption and farmlands were destroyed by Israeli Security Forces. Over 80% of water extracted from Gaza aquifers does not meet W.H.O.-approved water quality.
Since the beginning of the attacks on Oct. 7, the Israeli government’s retaliation has led to the destruction of seven mosques: Al-Abbas, Al-Susi, Al-Yarmouk, Al-Amin Muhammad, Ahmed Yassin, Al-Habib Mohammad, and Al-Garbi mosques.
Earlier this year, Israeli military personnel used “blatantly excessive and unjustified force” against Palestinian Muslims gathered for Ramadan prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holiest site following Mecca and Medina, in Jerusalem.
According to the U.N., at least 31 Palestinians were reportedly injured inside the compound while paramedics were allegedly prevented from providing medical treatment to the wounded. According to initial accounts, Israeli forces violently entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque. They used various methods of force, including tear gas, stun grenades, sponge-tipped bullets, and physical force against Muslim worshippers. At least 450 Palestinian men were arrested and led out of the Haram Al-Sharif compound.
This incident provoked Muslims worldwide and in the Middle East, especially reigniting Hamas' animosity towards Israel. Given Israel’s actions towards Palestinians in the past, many Muslims are hesitant to classify the Hamas movement as a terrorist organization.
Hamas claims that its attack is a response to the Al-Aqsa incidents and a reaction to the general situation in Palestine. However, Hamas does not represent the entirety of the Palestinian people. The Fatah party, which governs the West Bank, has historically disagreed with Hamas leadership and distanced itself from the group.
Despite these divisions, a scientific poll by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research revealed that 53% of Palestinians believe Hamas is "most deserving of representing and leading the Palestinian people," whereas only 14% prefer the secular Fatah party. This data underscores the significant support that Hamas has among Palestinians.
While a substantial portion of Palestinians identify with the Hamas movement, President Joe Biden has emphasized that the conflict is not against Palestine as a whole but specifically directed at Hamas.
