Know Thy Enemy - HAMAS

HAMAS, aka Islamic Resistance Movement, is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, the oldest of the Islamic extremist organizations. It was founded in 1928 in Egypt by the preacher (of hate) Hasan al-Bana. The target of HAMAS is mainly Israel for the moment and has keen responsible for brutal attacks and kidnappings of Israeli soldiers and civilians.

Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it. The Martyr Imam Hasan al-Bana, of blessed memory. Covenant of the Islamic Resistance Movement, HAMAS

Kill so many Jews that they will eventually abandon Palestine. Ibrahim Sarbal, Leader of Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine - Al-Aqsa Brigades

Six million descendants of monkeys [i.e., Jews] now rule in all the nations of the world, but their day, too, will come. Allah! Kill them all, do not leave even one! Imam Sheik Ahmad Ibrahim, HAMAS leader, in a sermon at the Palestine Mosque in Gaza.

From the Naval Postgraduate School Terrorist Group Profiles:

Description

HAMAS was formed in late 1987 as an outgrowth of the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. Various HAMAS elements have used both violent and political means, including terrorism, to pursue the goal of establishing an Islamic Palestinian state in Israel. It is loosely structured, with some elements working clandestinely and others operating openly through mosques and social service institutions to recruit members, raise money, organize activities, and distribute propaganda. HAMAS' strength is concentrated in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

Activities

HAMAS terrorists, especially those in the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, have conducted many attacks, including large-scale suicide bombings, against Israeli civilian and military targets. HAMAS maintained the pace of its operational activity in 2004, claiming numerous attacks against Israeli interests. HAMAS has not yet directly targeted US interests, although the group makes little or no effort to avoid targets frequented by foreigners. HAMAS continues to confine its attacks to Israelis inside Israel and the occupied territories.

Strength

Unknown number of official members; tens of thousands of supporters and sympathizers.

Location /Area of Operation

HAMAS currently limits its terrorist operations to Israeli military and civilian targets in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and Israel. Two of the group's most senior leaders in the Gaza Strip, Shaykh Ahmad Yasin and Abd al Aziz al Rantisi, were killed in Israeli air strikes in 2004. The group retains a cadre of senior leaders spread throughout the Gaza Strip, Syria, Lebanon, Iran, and the Gulf States.

External Aid

Receives some funding from Iran but primarily relies on donations from Palestinian expatriates around the world and private benefactors in Saudi Arabia and other Arab states. Some fundraising and propaganda activity take place in Western Europe and North America.

I would also add that they receive support from the United Nations as well, an all too obvious fact.