This is an excerpt from Critical Terrorism Studies: A Dictionary by Lee Jarvis and Alice Martini. Available in all good book stores, and via free download from E-International Relations.

Hamas, an acronym for Harakat al-Muqawamah al-Islamiyya, meaning Islamic Resistance Movement, is a Palestinian Islamist political and militant organisation founded in 1987 during the First Intifada – a Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation. Hamas combines political, social, and military activities, advocating for Palestinian self-determination and the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state. The group operates both a political wing which has been responsible for governance in Gaza, and an armed wing, which has conducted various forms of violence and resistance. CTS scholars have argued that Hamas’ humanitarian aid, social welfare, and governance structures complicate reductive portrayals of the group as a purely terrorist entity, raising questions about legitimacy, sovereignty, and state-building in contested territories (Gunning 2023).

Hamas came to power in the Gaza Strip in 2007 following a conflict with the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority, which created a political division between Gaza (controlled by Hamas) and the West Bank (controlled by the Palestinian Authority). This posture changed in 2017 when the two organisations signed a reconciliation agreement. Another important recent date is 7 October 2023, the date of the Hamas-led attack on Israel – one of the deadliest examples of non-state terrorism that led to almost 1200 fatalities. The 7 October attack led to a sustained military offensive by Israel in Gaza and beyond that was responsible for over 50,000 deaths by March 2025 according to a Hamas estimate, as well as the resurgence of conflict between Hamas and Fatah (Gunning 2023).

The US, the EU, Israel, and the UK are amongst the actors that have designated Hamas a terrorist organisation, citing its use of violence against civilians and its armed resistance against Israel. Others, however, including Norway and Brazil, have viewed Hamas as a legitimate resistance movement against occupation, highlighting its social services and political role within Palestinian society. One of the reasons for the difference is whether states distinguish between the political and armed ‘wings’ of Hamas: seeing the entire organisation........

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