WHamas is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist, militant and nationalist organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. It has been the de facto governing authority of the Gaza Strip since its takeover of that area in 2007. During this period, it fought several wars with Israel. Israel, the United States and the European Union classify Hamas, either in whole or in part, as a terrorist organization while Iran, Russia, China and Turkey do not.
WLegislative elections were held in the Palestinian territories on 25 January 2006 in order to elect the second Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), the legislature of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). The result was a victory for Hamas, contesting under the list name of Change and Reform, which received 44.45% of the vote and won 74 of the 132 seats, whilst the ruling Fatah received 41.43% of the vote and won just 45 seats.
WThe Fatah–Hamas 2012 Cairo Agreement was a reconciliation accord between the ruling Palestinian National Authority Fatah, and the fundamentalist organization Hamas, which currently rules over the Gaza Strip. Signed in May 2012 by Fatah's President Mahmoud Abbas, and Hamas' leader Khaled Mashal, the objective of the agreement was the formation of an interim government in preparation for the elections for a new Palestinian government. However, the agreement soon fell apart, and steps of major reconciliation were not made until January 2013.
WAknaf Beit al-Maqdis was a Syrian Palestinian rebel group active during the Syrian Civil War.
WThe al-Aqsa Foundation is an international charity established in 1997. The head office of the foundation was located in Germany until it was closed by the German authorities in July 2002. The organisation is known to have local branch offices in the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, Sweden, Pakistan, South Africa, Yemen and elsewhere.
WThe assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh took place on 19 January 2010, in a hotel room in Dubai. Al-Mabhouh—a co-founder of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas—was wanted by the Israeli government for the kidnapping and murder of two Israeli soldiers in 1989 as well as purchasing arms from Iran for use in Gaza; these have been cited as a possible motive for the assassination.
WAl-Quds TV was a Palestinian satellite channel broadcast on Arab satellite Nilesat and Arabsat, which began broadcasting on November 11, 2008. The station is Pro-Palestinian editorially and is Hamas's second satellite TV channel, after Al-Aqsa TV. It is licensed in London, with offices in the Gaza Strip, West Bank, Beirut and Damascus. The Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center accused Al Quds of being a mouthpiece of Hamas. American news agencies such as The New York Times and the Associated Press describes Al-Quds TV as "pro-Hamas."
WThe term Axis of Resistance refers to a political alliance between Iran, the Syrian Assad government and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Pro-Syrian government militias, Iraqi Shia militias that are part of the Iraqi Government-sanctioned Popular Mobilization Forces and the Yemeni Houthi movement are also considered part of the alliance. Despite the alliance's differing ideologies, for example secular Ba'athism and Shia Islamism, they are united to oppose NATO, Israeli and Saudi Arabian activities in the region.
WHamastan is a pejorative neologism, merging 'Hamas', a Palestinian militant organization and political party, and '-stan', a suffix of Persian origin meaning "home of/place of". The term Hamastan generally relates to the Hamas administration of the Gaza Strip.
WThe Holy Land Foundation (HLF) was the largest Islamic charity in the United States. Headquartered in Richardson, Texas, and run by Palestinian-Americans, it was originally known as Occupied Land Fund. The organization's mission was to "find and implement practical solutions for human suffering through humanitarian programs that impact the lives of the disadvantaged, disinherited, and displaced peoples suffering from man-made and natural disasters."
WIslamism in the Gaza Strip involves efforts to promote and impose Islamic laws and traditions in the Gaza Strip. The influence of Islamic groups in the Gaza Strip has grown since the 1980s. Following Hamas' victory in the 2006 Palestinian elections and a conflict with supporters of the rival Fatah party, Hamas took complete control of the Gaza Strip, and declared the "end of secularism and heresy in the Gaza Strip". For the first time since the Sudanese coup of 1989 that brought Omar al-Bashir to power, a Muslim Brotherhood group ruled a significant geographic territory. Gaza human-rights groups accuse Hamas of restricting many freedoms in the course of these attempts.
WThe Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades is the military wing of the Palestinian Hamas organization.
WThe following is a list of Palestinian rocket and mortar attacks on Israel in 2001. Almost all of the incidents were mortar attacks, as the Qassam rocket was first launched on July 10 of the year, and first used against civilian targets in October and November, when four rockets were fired on Sderot in Israel and various Gush Katif settlements in the Gaza Strip.
WThe following is a partial list of Palestinian rocket and mortar attacks on Israel between 2002 and 2006. These attacks commenced in April 2001, although the first rocket to hit an Israeli city was on 5 March 2002, and the first Israeli fatality was 28 June 2004.
WThe following is a list of rocket and mortar attacks on Israel in 2007 by Hamas and other Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip. 2007 marked the beginning of Palestinian militants' firing of Katyusha rockets at Israeli cities, previously practiced only by Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. A total of 2,807 rockets and mortars were fired at Israel in 2007.
WThe following is a list of 2008 rocket and mortar attacks on Israel, by Hamas and Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip. This was part of a rapid escalation of attacks by Hamas on Israel. Until the ceasefire on June 19, 2008 2378 rockets and mortars were launched. This is more than the 1,639 attacks launched in all of 2007, the rate of fire per month had increased more than 240%. A six-month 2008 Israel–Hamas ceasefire was agreed to by both sides and began on June 19, 2008. Sporadic attacks continued during the cease-fire at a vastly diminished rate; a total of 20 rockets and 18 mortars were launched from the signing of the ceasefire until the beginning of November. This represented a 98% reduction in rocket fire 4 1⁄2-month period prior to the signing of the ceasefire during which over 1,800 rockets were fired from Gaza. On November 4, the Israeli military attacked a cross-border tunnel on the Gaza side, killing two Hamas gunman. The resulted in rocket and mortar attacks and subsequent Israel Air Force strikes on launching sites and killed an additional four Hamas gunmen. Israeli officials allege Hamas was constructing a tunnel to be used to abduct Israeli soldiers. Following this event the number of rockets fired from Gaza escalated, 125 being launched in the month of November. This page lists rocket attacks on Israel by Palestinian terrorists. According to the Israeli military's count on December 27, 3,000 rockets hit Israel since the beginning of the year.
WThe following is a list of rocket and mortar attacks on Israel in 2009 by Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups from the Gaza Strip.
WThe following is a detailed list of Palestinian rocket and mortar attacks on Israel in 2010 from the Gaza Strip.
WThe following is a detailed list of Palestinian rocket and mortar attacks on Israel in 2011 from the Gaza Strip.
WThe following is a detailed list of Palestinian rocket and mortar attacks on Israel in 2012. All of the attacks originated in the Gaza Strip, unless stated otherwise.
WThe following is a detailed list of Palestinian rocket and mortar attacks on Israel in 2013. All of the attacks originated in the Gaza Strip, unless stated otherwise. For information pertaining to the wider conflict, see Arab–Israeli conflict and Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Over the year 52 rockets and 16 mortars were fired at Israel, the vast majority of which came from the Gaza strip. This was the fewest such attacks since 2001.
WThe following is a detailed list of Palestinian rocket and mortar attacks on Israel in 2014. All of the attacks originated in the Gaza Strip, unless stated otherwise. For information pertaining to the wider conflict, see Arab–Israeli conflict and Israeli–Palestinian conflict. This list does not include reports of deaths and injuries caused by Hamas rocket and mortar attacks that fell within Gaza.
WThe following is a detailed list of Palestinian rocket and mortar attacks on Israel in 2015. All of the attacks originated in the Gaza Strip, unless stated otherwise. For information pertaining to the wider conflict, see Arab-Israeli conflict and Israeli–Palestinian conflict. This list does not include reports of deaths and injuries caused by Hamas rocket and mortar attacks that fell within Gaza.
WThe following is a detailed list of Palestinian rocket and mortar attacks on Israel in 2016. All of the attacks originated in the Gaza Strip, unless stated otherwise. For information pertaining to the wider conflict, see Arab–Israeli conflict and Israeli–Palestinian conflict. This list does not include reports of deaths and injuries caused by Hamas rocket and mortar attacks that fell within Gaza.
WThis is a detailed list of Palestinian rocket and mortar attacks on Israel in 2017. The Israeli military reported that 35 rockets and mortars were launched from the Gaza Strip in 2017, the vast majority of them in December. All of the attacks originated in the Gaza Strip, unless stated otherwise. For information pertaining to the wider conflict, see Arab–Israeli conflict and Israeli–Palestinian conflict. This list does not include reports of deaths and injuries caused by Palestinian rocket and mortar attacks that fell within Gaza.
WThis is a detailed list of Palestinian rocket and mortar attacks on Israel in 2018. All of the attacks originated in the Gaza Strip, unless stated otherwise. For information pertaining to the wider conflict, see Arab–Israeli conflict and Israeli–Palestinian conflict. This list does not include reports of deaths and injuries caused by Hamas rocket and mortar attacks that fell within Gaza.
WThis is a list of Palestinian rocket and mortar attacks on Israel in 2019. All of the attacks originated in the Gaza Strip, unless stated otherwise. This list does not include reports of deaths and injuries caused by Hamas rocket and mortar attacks that fell within Gaza.
WThis is a list of Palestinian rocket and mortar attacks on Israel in 2020. All of the attacks originated in the Gaza Strip, unless stated otherwise. This list does not include reports of deaths and injuries caused by Hamas rocket and mortar attacks that fell within Gaza.
WThe Palestinian National and Islamic Forces is a coalition formed shortly after the outbreak of the second Intifada with the authorization of Yasser Arafat and led by Marwan Barghouti. The coalition coordinates the agenda of its members and helps plan and execute joint political actions against Israel. According to the Anti-Defamation League, the group enjoyed significant influence during the second intifada, but since the election of Mahmoud Abbas in 2005 it has been less active.
WThe Qassam rocket is a simple, steel artillery rocket developed and deployed by the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military arm of Hamas. These rockets cannot be fired to target specific military objectives in or near civilian areas, and are "indiscriminate when used against targets in population centers."
WReform Bloc was a candidature list that contested the May 2005 municipal elections in Bethlehem, the West Bank. The list was launched by Hamas. In total, the Bloc presented 7 candidates. The top candidate of the Bloc was Hassan al-Masalman.
WSpeak, Bird, Speak Again: A book of Palestinian folk tales is a book first published in English in 1989 by Palestinian authors Ibrahim Muhawi and professor of sociology and anthropology at Bir Zeit University Sharif Kanaana.
WTomorrow's Pioneers is a children's program, broadcast between 2007–09 on the Palestinian Hamas-affiliated television station, Al-Aqsa TV. The show features young host Saraa Barhoum and her co-host, a large costumed animal as they perform skits and discuss life in Palestine in a talk show fashion with call-ins from children. Presented in a children's educational format similar to such other preschool shows as Sesame Street or Barney & Friends, Tomorrow's Pioneers is highly controversial as it contains antisemitism, Islamism, anti-Americanism, and other anti-Western themes.