"The people's anger towards Israel had become anger towards the government and therefore towards Hamas," Giacaman told AFP. Hamas was created in 1987, amid the first Palestinian intifada (uprising) against Israel's occupation, by a group of militants claiming to be from the Muslim Brotherhood. In 2018, Hamas and Israel agreed a long-term truce intended to stabilize the Gaza Strip, beset by poverty and unemployment, following mediation by Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations. Palestinian labourers queue at the Gaza border to cross into Israel for work late last month. Netanyahu said on Wednesday that "every member of Hamas is a dead man", adding that Israel would "crush and destroy" the movement.

Source: Forbes October 12, 2023 00:46 UTC