Hamas is a Palestinian Sunni extremist movement committed to destroying Israel, as stated in its first declaration in the late 1980s. It was founded during the first Intifada uprising in the late 1980s and has been opposed to peace or coexistence with Israel. Hamas has received support from Iran due to its opposition to Israel and Islamic ideology. The group has called for Islamic rule in the Middle East and rejected any prospect of peace or coexistence with Israel. Hamas has been involved in various conflicts with Israel, including the 2000 Second Intifada and the 2006 legislative elections in which Hamas won a majority of seats in the Palestinian Authority's legislature. Hamas' statements have often sounded contradictory, with some calling for liberation of all lands that were part of historic Palestine and others claiming Hamas could live alongside another state based on the 1967 borders. In 2017, Hamas released a revised manifesto with three departures from the 1988 charter, including the acceptance of a Palestinian state separate from Israel provisionally. 1 2 3
