On Saturday morning, Hamas attacked 27 Israeli towns and cities. One of the most talked about attacks was aimed at the rave party Nature Party on the border with Gaza. Several young Israelis were abducted by armed Hamas soldiers who came flying into the festival area on paragliders. Afterwards, 260 people are said to have been found dead in the vicinity. On the same day, the Israeli Defense Minister declared war on Hamas. SURROUNDING: Festival participants tried to flee, but were surrounded by Hamas soldiers. Photo: AFP What is Hamas? Hamas stands for “Islamic Resistance Movement”. It is a Palestinian, Islamist and nationalist militant political organisation, created in 1987 – as a reaction to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory. Hamas has had control in Gaza since 2007. Exactly how Hamas is organized is shrouded in secrecy. But the organization is based on the principle of shura, i.e. referendum and council. In the Koran, they say that one should consult with others when making political decisions. The Shura Council in Hamas must be democratically elected. Ismail Haniyeh is Hamas’s political leader. He lives in Qatar and manages the organization from there. Photo: MAHMOUD ZAYYAT / AFP In addition to the council, Ismail Haniyeh is an important person. The Hamas leader has been described as more pragmatic and not as hostile to Israel as others in the organization. Yet Hamas is carrying out the bloodiest attack on Israel ever under his leadership. The Al-Qassam Brigades is the military wing of Hamas. They have carried out a long series of attacks against Israeli targets. It is uncertain how many soldiers the brigade has. Various sources give figures between 20,000 and 50,000. Hamas mainly works militarily and politically, but also has a welfare programme, its own news agency and offers a range of social services. Who is the military leader? Israeli intelligence has tried to kill him several times, but never succeeded. Mohammed Deif has been the leader of the al-Qassam brigade for over 20 years. He is the engineer behind several of Hamas’s suicide bombs, and is known for organizing terrorist attacks against Israel. OLD PHOTO: The only photo that exists of Mohammed Deif is from around the year 2000. Photo: AFP According to Israeli intelligence, his wife, daughter and newborn son were killed in 2014, in one of the many attacks that have been directed at him. He himself survived, but is said to have lost an eye, both legs and an arm. Deif, which means “guest” in Arabic, is supposed to be a name he has taken. The “guest” is very mysterious, and there is almost no concrete information about him. He is supposed to live in different houses every night to avoid Israeli intelligence, writes the Financial Times. One theory is that it is the background for his nickname, according to the newspaper. There is only one picture of Deif on the internet, which is supposed to be from around the year 2000. MYSTERIOUS FIGURE: In a rare televised interview, Mohammed Deif appeared only as a shadow. Photo: AP What is their goal? Hamas stated from the start that their goal was to wipe out Israel as a state, and to establish an Islamic Palestinian state. On the other hand, the goal of taking control of all of Israel has moderated over the years. In 2017, Hamas recognized the borders as they were in 1967. ERDOGAN: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has previously supported Hamas. On Sunday, he said that Turkey wants to contribute diplomatically to de-escalate the conflict. Photo: Burhan Ozbilici / AP Why did they attack? Videos of brutal murders and abductions have dominated the news in recent days. Hamas has attacked Israel on several occasions before, but never on such a large scale. Mohammed Deif called the military operation the “al-Aqsa Flood”, and said on Saturday that 5,000 rockets had been sent against Israeli targets. The operation will be motivated by Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and the action against the al-Aqsa mosque earlier this year. – Today, those who have a gun, take it out, it’s time. Everyone should go out with their trucks, cars or fighting tools, Deif said in a televised speech, urging people to fight. Hazem Qasim, spokesperson for Hamas, however, told news that the main aim of the attack is to exchange the abducted Israelis for Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons. Erik Skare is researching the Palestinian resistance struggle at UiO. He describes Gaza as one of the world’s worst places to live, and believes that Hamas’ attack is rooted in rage and a desire for revenge. According to the UN, about half of all people living in the Gaza Strip are unemployed. 80 percent will be dependent on humanitarian support to survive, and the Israeli blockade around the area makes it difficult to travel in and out. Many Palestinians have never been outside Gaza. – Openbert does something with the view you get on board, says Skure. HALF PARTEN: Opinion polls show that around 50 percent of Palestinians believe that Hamas should represent them. Photo: HAZEM BADER / AFP Does Hamas have support? Simply put, Hamas is allied with Israel’s enemies. The biggest supporters are the Iranian regime and Hezbollah in Lebanon. According to American intelligence, Iran will support Hamas financially, with weapons and training of soldiers. Turkey and Qatar have previously expressed support for Hamas, but after the new attacks, the countries have offered to mediate in the conflict. Among Palestinians, opinions about Hamas are divided. In 2021, an opinion poll from The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research showed that about half of Palestinians believed that Hamas should represent and hire the Palestinian people. In 2023, the same organization carried out a new poll. Then the support should have increased to 58 per cent in Gaza and 42 per cent in the West Bank. It is uncertain how people will react to Hamas after the new attacks. Is Hamas on the terrorist list? Hamas has decidedly more enemies than friends. Hamas’s attacks have met with condemnation around the world, including from Norway. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, US President Joe Biden, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other European leaders have called the attack an act of terrorism. Hamas is on the terrorist list of both the EU, USA, UK and Israel. Norway will still not call Hamas a terrorist organization. The government refers to the UN, which does not have Hamas on the terror list. – I think it is correct today to call this an organization which is now responsible for having carried out terror, said Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (Ap) to news måndag.
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What do they stand for and who are the leaders? – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
