Hamas

: "Hamas" is also the former name of the Movement of Society for Peace, a political party in Algeria.

Related Topics:
Movement of Society for Peace - Algeria

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Hamas, acronym of Harakat al-Muqawamah al-Islamiyyah (Arabic: ???? ???????? ?????????, literally "Islamic Resistance Movement" and Arabic for 'zeal' or 'courage'), is a Palestinian Islamist paramilitary organization closely related to the Muslim Brotherhood. Its stated goal is to establish an Islamic theocracy in the area that is currently Israel, the West Bank and Gaza.

Related Topics:
Acronym - Arabic - Palestinian - Islamist - Paramilitary organization - Muslim Brotherhood - Islamic - Theocracy - Israel - West Bank - Gaza

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It is listed as a terrorist group by the European Union, Canada, the United States, and Israel, and its attacks targeting Israeli civilians and other human rights abuses have been condemned by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights and by Human Rights Watch.

Related Topics:
Terrorist - European Union - Canada - United States - Israel - United Nations - Commission on Human Rights - Human Rights Watch

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The organization is popular among Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. It also has a following in the West Bank, and, to a lesser extent, in other Middle Eastern countries and throughout the Palestinian diaspora, including within Israel. The movement's popularity stems from its paramilitary or "terrorist" activities, and from its provision of welfare and social services to the Palestinian poor. Hamas is notorious for its suicide bombings against civilians in busy urban areas in Israel, and is known for its generous payments to the families of suicide bombers.

Related Topics:
Gaza Strip - West Bank - Middle Eastern - Diaspora - Suicide bombing

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Suicide attacks are an element of what Hamas sees as its asymmetric warfare against Israel. Because the group considers all Israelis to be participants in an illegal occupation of Palestinian land, and because Israel's policy of universal conscription implies that a majority of adults serve in either the Israeli military or the reserves at some point in their lives, Hamas does not distinguish between Israeli civilian and military targets. The failure to distinguish between combatants and non-combatants, and the group's willingness to select civilian targets at random, has helped to earn it the label of "terrorist organization."

Related Topics:
Asymmetric warfare - Conscription

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Hamas also fights a guerrilla war against the Israeli military and security forces in its effort to drive them from the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and ultimately eliminate the state of Israel and replace it with an Islamic state. As well as suicide bombings, Hamas operatives plant bombs and carrying out shooting attacks in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

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The organization's goal to destroy Israel in its entirety has been used by the Israeli government to justify the assassination of its leaders. Assassinations and assassination attempts on Hamas leaders have been carried out in the past by the Israeli Air Force in the occupied territories, and by car bombings, shootings and even poision injections by Mossad agents outside Israel and the occupied territories.

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