Images circulated on social media showing injured and bloodied young people being loaded onto trucks by freshly arrived fighters. The scene entered collective imagination alongside references to Hamas, the Islamic State, and Al Qaeda. Hamas, or Harakat al Muqawamah al Islamiya, traces its origins to the Spanish Islamic Resistance Movement and emerged in the 1980s as a radical Islamist alternative to a Palestinian liberation movement dominated by secular, nationalist, and leftist forces. Its initial ideology advocated a state governed by sharia, opposing any concessions to Israel, and over time it gained substantial political support. Iran became a key sponsor, and Hamas grew its influence through proxies and deputies. The movement’s military capabilities expanded in parallel with its external supporters, shaping its role in the Arab–Israeli conflict.
