Overview of Hamas and its regional footprint
The attack by Hamas marked the most devastating assault Israel has seen in its 75-year history, resulting in a tragic loss of nearly a thousand lives among civilians and a heavy toll on military and police personnel. A video circulated showing the head of Hamas’s political bureau reacting on television and, with several close associates, expressing gratitude for the events. Ismail Haniyeh, a key figure connected to the organization, has a history shaped by displacement from a village near Ashkelon during the 1948 war and later life that took him to a luxury hotel environment near his birthplace by the sea. His trajectory, while dramatic, is not unique among regional leaders who have alternated between conflict zones and political hubs.
Hamas, short for the Islamic Resistance Movement, formed in Gaza in late 1987 during the early phase of the First Intifada. Its aim has long included the liberation of historic Palestinian lands and, from certain viewpoints, the dismantling of the state of Israel. The movement split into two main branches: the political leadership based outside the occupied territories to maintain maneuverability, and the military arm known as the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. A scholar and journalist, Paola Caridi, notes the political wing often operates beyond the occupied territory to preserve strategic freedom and to manage relations with Arab governments, funding, and leadership turnover. She compares Hamas’s wanderings to the PLO under Arafat, underscoring how the group shifts bases in response to alliances and regional contexts.
The organization’s history includes time spent in Amman starting in 1996, followed by a relocation to various hubs as Jordan later accused it of coordinating activity on its soil. From there, Hamas moved to other locations, including a ten-year period before 2011 in areas that stretched to different countries. A sequence of strategic moves followed, with shifts prompted by changing alliances and the broader dynamics of the region. The group has navigated complex regional politics, including interactions with regimes in Syria, which expelled it amid a broader upheaval, and a subsequent period in Turkey before settling into what is now its primary operating environment.
Operations base in Qatar
In Qatar, the world’s wealth and influence converge, and the United States maintains a significant presence through its larger regional force. Washington has viewed this arrangement as an opportunity to sustain channels with Palestinian movements. While Hamas is widely labeled a terrorist organization by many governments and organizations, it is also a political party that has governed Gaza since 2007 and remains a major stakeholder for Palestinian affairs and regional diplomacy. The organization has historically control over the governance of Gaza, with influence that extends into the broader diaspora through prison systems and refugee networks.
Head of the political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, operates from Qatar, dealing with ceasefires and prisoner exchanges. His predecessors, including Khaled Meshaal, have maintained ties with multiple regional actors. In Lebanon, leaders such as Osama Hamdan and Musa Abu Marzouk help manage relations with the Islamic world and coordinate with other actors in the region. The continued presence in Lebanon is partly explained by the protection afforded by regional alliances and by Hamas’s substantial footprint in refugee camps there, according to Paola Caridi.
Military leadership in Gaza
Israel’s aim to diminish Hamas faces a layered reality, where the military wing and the political leadership operate with distinct priorities. Sources suggest the armed wing maintains a high degree of autonomy, with officials coordinating operations to prevent exposure to Israeli intelligence. Some Hamas politicians have expressed disbelief when confronted with the scale of militia activity seen after major operations, which included breaches of the Gaza blockade and incursions into southern Israel.
The day-to-day decisions of the paramilitary forces are believed to be guided by a General Military Council. Muhammad Deif is widely regarded as the architect behind the major strikes and is described as a elusive, shadowy figure with limited public appearances. In an audio message from that critical day, Deif spoke of a future marked by wider conflict, hinting at an enduring struggle. The precise structure of the Al Qassam Brigades remains largely secretive, reinforcing concerns about transparency and accountability.
Equally important in shaping the organization’s Gaza operations is Yahya Sinwar, the leader in Gaza who spent years in Israeli custody before his release in a prisoner exchange that involved many inmates. Sinwar has consolidated power and now functions as a key intermediary between the political leadership and the military branch. Israel has not yet succeeded in removing the core leaders, though it continues efforts to address operational threats from Gaza through various means across air, land, and sea, including the dismantling of intermediary networks and anti-tank capabilities.