What is Hamas? A brief history of the group behind the attack on Israel

Israel has formally declared war on Hamas following unprecedented attacks that left hundreds dead. Yahoo News explains the origins of the militant group from its emergence in 1987 through the current conflict with Israel.

Video Transcript

- Israel has formally declared war on Hamas following unprecedented attacks that left hundreds dead.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

- Hamas is a Palestinian political and militant group that emerged in 1987 during an uprising against Israeli rule. It was founded as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood and seeks to establish an independent Islamic state in what is now Israel. Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by several countries due to its use of suicide bombings and rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and security forces.

In recent years, the group has also become active in politics, notably winning the 2006 Palestinian legislative elections and subsequently taking control of the Gaza Strip-- an area roughly the size of Washington, DC, where they have acted as the governing authority ever since.

Hamas is known to be funded by groups from around the world, including Iran. However, despite speculation that an order from the US government to unfreeze $6 billion in assets as part of a prisoner exchange with Iran may have indirectly aided the latest attack, Qatar the country that brokered that deal has confirmed those funds were not dispersed and remained unconnected to Hamas. As this story develops, Yahoo News will have the latest.