Hamas: The Engineering of Martyrdom

When Hamas is discussed, the conversation is often reduced to two opposing caricatures. To some, it is nothing more than a resistance movement. To others, it is simply a terrorist organization.

Both descriptions contain an element of truth. Neither is sufficient to explain the phenomenon.

Hamas is far more than an armed group. Since its emergence during the First Intifada in 1987, it has built a political, religious, social, and military network capable of influencing nearly every aspect of life in Gaza. That complexity helps explain its remarkable durability.

Hamas does not govern through force alone. It also governs through institutions, charitable organizations, religious networks, social services, symbols, and narratives.

Armed organizations can impose obedience through fear. But no movement survives for generations by fear alone. It also requires legitimacy.

And legitimacy is not created by a rifle.

It is created by a story.

Every revolutionary movement depends upon a founding narrative. Hamas is no exception. Its narrative begins with a simple yet powerful proposition: that Palestine has suffered a historic injustice that can be corrected only through resistance.

Up to this point, there is nothing unique. Many national movements build their identity around real or perceived historical grievances. The distinction emerges when resistance ceases to be understood as a political option and becomes a moral and religious obligation.

At that moment, participation in the struggle is no longer a choice. It becomes a duty. And once a duty is presented as sacred, questioning it becomes increasingly difficult.

Hamas understood early on that no long-term struggle can depend solely on adult fighters. Every movement seeking permanence must secure its own generational continuity. That is why shaping identity becomes as important as building military capability.

The real battle begins long before the battlefield. It begins when a child learns what it means to belong.

It is not enough to teach who the enemy is. One must also teach who the heroes are.

Heroes constitute the moral vocabulary of every society. They define which lives deserve admiration, which actions deserve recognition, and which sacrifices deserve honor.

Within this symbolic universe, Hamas developed a narrative in which certain fallen fighters became central figures in the collective memory. Their portraits appeared on posters. Their names were repeated during public ceremonies. Their stories circulated through speeches, songs, schools, and media.

Not every act of remembrance necessarily called for violence. But........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)