What did Hamas aim to gain by its brazen attack on Israel? Here's what to know
The surprise attack on Israel by Hamas over the weekend has brought the militant group back into the spotlight. In the attack, Hamas fighters flew paragliders from Gaza and used bulldozers to poke gaping holes in a barrier fence to gain access to Israeli territory. They killed more than 1,000 people and seized at least 100 hostages.
Hamas' attack was unprecedented. A senior Hamas official tells NPR that its planning was kept a close secret. Since Hamas' formation more than three decades ago, the armed, hard-line Islamist group has been a major presence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Here are some key points:
What is Hamas?
Hamas was formed in 1987 at the start of the first Palestinian uprising, or intifada, against Israel. It is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, a transnational Sunni Islamist group that first formed in Egypt. Hamas, the Arabic acronym for "Islamic Resistance Movement," wants to create a Palestinian state. It rejects any peace deal with Israel, which it refuses to recognize.
It is considered a terrorist organization by Israel, the U.S. and a number of other Western countries. "Hamas has only one agenda, to destroy Israel and to murder Jews," Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reportersat a press conference in Israel.
