Hamas: Background, Current Status, and U.S. Policy (CRS Report for Congress)
| Release Date |
Revised Oct. 23, 2024 |
| Report Number |
IF12549 |
| Report Type |
In Focus |
| Authors |
Jim Zanotti |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
| Older Revisions |
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Summary:
Hamas (or the Islamic Resistance Movement) is a
Palestinian Sunni Islamist military and sociopolitical
movement, and a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist
organization (FTO). Hamas’s primary base of action and
support is in the Gaza Strip, which it has controlled since
2007. It also operates in the West Bank and Lebanon, and
some Hamas leaders and personnel live and/or work in
various Arab countries and Turkey. Hamas reportedly
receives material assistance and training from Iran and
some of its allies, including the Lebanese Shia group
Hezbollah (another FTO). From its inception, Hamas has
overseen a social welfare network that appears to have
aided its popularity among Palestinians while serving as a
conduit for some funding for Hamas military operations.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas led a surprise assault against
Israel that killed some 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals
(including 35 Americans) and took around 250 persons
hostage (including some Americans)—more than 100 of
whom were released in November. The attack’s scope and
lethality were unprecedented for Hamas. The ensuing
conflict, which has reportedly killed more than 39,000
Palestinians in Gaza, has reshaped Middle Eastern
dynamics, with implications for U.S. policy and Congress.
A Hamas spokesperson has said the group is committed to
repeating October 7-style attacks against Israel.
