Prompt Cast
The Origins and Evolution of Hamas: From Resistance to Control
TLDR Hamas, an Islamist Palestinian organization, was born in 1987 during the First Intifada with the goal of establishing a Palestinian Islamic state and destroying Israel. Over the years, Hamas has shifted its tactics from resistance activities to attacking civilians, leading to tension with Israel, a political and economic siege on Gaza, and increased suffering for the Palestinian people.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
This episode of Throughline explores the origins of Hamas, starting with the event that birthed it in 1987 during the First Intifada.
05:37
Hamas, an Islamist Palestinian organization, was born in the Gaza Strip in 1987 and differed from other Palestinian factions by placing Islam at the center of its political program and rejecting diplomacy and compromise in favor of jihad.
10:33
Hamas was created with the explicit goal of destroying Israel and establishing a Palestinian Islamic state, and it was influenced by the Muslim Brotherhood's ideology of reconnecting Muslims with Islam to regain past glory and rid the Muslim world of foreign occupation.
15:55
Hamas was founded as an organization focused on action and control of their own destiny, and it emerged out of the Islamic Center, an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, gaining public support and engaging in resistance activities, which changed Israel's approach from approval to antagonism.
20:52
After Hamas kidnapped and killed an Israeli border policeman, Israel expelled 415 Hamas activists, leading to international attention and sympathy for Hamas, as well as their adoption of tactics like suicide bombing from Hezbollah.
26:46
The Oslo Accords, which were seen by many as a groundbreaking step towards peace and a two-state solution, were viewed differently by many in Israel and the Palestinian territories, with some seeing it as a transfer of administrative control to Palestinians and a betrayal of Palestinian nationalism, leading to growing suspicion and despair among Palestinians and opposition from groups like Hamas and far-right Jewish settlers in Israel.
31:22
The Hebron massacre in 1994, carried out by an American Jewish settler, was a turning point for Hamas, leading them to switch to attacking civilians as a way to instill deterrence against Israeli occupying forces and derail the Oslo peace process.
37:01
Hamas carried out numerous attacks against Israeli civilians, leading to the second Palestinian Intifada, while Israel continued to occupy the West Bank and Gaza Strip, resulting in a massive Israeli invasion and the assassination of Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, but Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and Hamas' participation in elections further complicated the situation.
41:58
After Hamas won the Palestinian elections, the US, EU, and Israel boycotted the new Hamas-controlled government, leading to an economic and political siege on Gaza and rising tension between Hamas and Fatah, ultimately resulting in a civil war and Hamas taking control of the Gaza Strip, which prompted Israel to execute a blockade on Gaza as a form of collective punishment.
46:47
During the last 16 years of the blockade, Gaza has become one of the most densely populated and poorest places on Earth, while Hamas has expanded tunnels, received support from Iran, and focused more on fighting than on the needs of the Palestinian people, ultimately leading to increased suffering for the Gaza population.
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