what is hammas

Hamas is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. It was founded in 1987 during the first Palestinian Intifada, or uprising, and has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. The acronym "Hamas" stands for "Islamic Resistance Movement" in Arabic. Hamas is one of the two major political parties in the Palestinian territories and governs more than two million Palestinians. Its 1988 founding charter called for the destruction of Israel, although Hamas leaders have at times offered a long-term truce with Israel in return for a viable Palestinian state on all Palestinian territory occupied by Israel in the 1967 war. Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States, European Union, Canada, Egypt, and Japan. Hamas uses improvised explosive devices, short- and long-range rockets and mortars, small arms, kidnapping operations, rocket-propelled grenades, man-portable air defense systems, antitank missiles, and unmanned aircraft systems in attacks against Israeli military forces and civilians.