The organization was founded by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and other Palestinian activists with the goal of resisting occupation and establishing an Islamic state within Israel and territories known as the West Bank and Gaza Strip. During the First Intifada, it gained popularity as an alternative to the secular Palestine Liberation Organization. Hamas conducted numerous attacks against Israeli military and civilian targets during the 1980s and ‘90s.

Throughout the 1990s, Hamas began to participate in Palestinian elections and established a political wing. In 2006, it won a majority in the Palestinian Legislative Council elections, leading to it forming a government in the Gaza Strip. A year later, a rivalry between Hamas and the Fatah faction, led by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, escalated into a violent conflict.

As a result, Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip, while Fatah retained control of the West Bank. This division between the two territories has persisted to this day.

Prior to Saturday’s attack, Hamas has engaged in multiple armed conflicts with Israel, including major conflicts in 2008, 2012 and again in 2014. These conflicts resulted in significant casualties and destruction in the Gaza Strip. They were often sparked by rocket attacks launched by Hamas and Israeli military operations in response.

How did we get here?

The State of Israel was founded in 1948 and designated the Jewish homeland following World War II and the horrors of the Holocaust. It is bordered by Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan to the east, the Red Sea to the south, Egypt to the southwest and the Mediterranean Sea to the west.

The Palestinian territories, which declared independence in 1988 but are not recognized by all nations, include the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The region is home to 2.2 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and 3.2 million in the West Bank. Israel, meanwhile, has a population of 9.3 million.

Most of the West Bank is currently administered by Israel though 42% of it is under varying degrees of autonomous rule by the Fatah-run Palestinian Authority. The Gaza Strip is currently under the control of Hamas, a Sunni Muslim group.