'Hamas is a Palestinian militant group and political faction that controls the Gaza Strip and opposes Israel. It was founded in 1987 as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood and has never renounced violence. It is considered a terrorist organisation by many countries, including the US and Israel. The current political leader of Hamas is Ismail Haniyeh, who lives in exile in Qatar. | |
He was elected as the head of Hamas's political bureau in 2017, succeeding Khaled Meshaal. Haniyeh was born in Gaza in 1962 and became a prominent member of Hamas in the late 1980s. He served as the Palestinian prime minister from 2006 to 2007, but was dismissed by President Mahmoud Abbas after Hamas seized control of Gaza from Fatah¹. Haniyeh has maintained a hardline stance against Israel and has aligned Hamas with Iran and its allies.' |