Israel and the armed Palestinian group Hamas are locked in an escalating battle that has left virtually 1,000 folks lifeless in slightly greater than a day.

On Saturday, Hamas launched an unprecedented assault on Israel, blowing up components of the nation’s extremely fortified separation fence and sending fighters into Israeli communities alongside the Gaza frontier.

The transfer prompted the federal government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to warn of “an extended and troublesome conflict”. Israeli jets are bombing the Gaza Strip, levelling excessive rises and civilian neighbourhoods.

However what’s Hamas, the group on the centre of all of it? Here’s what to know:

What’s the group Hamas?

Hamas stands for the Islamic Resistance Motion and in Arabic means “zeal”.

The group politically controls the Gaza Strip, a territory of about 365sq km (141sq miles) that’s dwelling to greater than two million folks however is blockaded by Israel.

Hamas has been in energy within the Gaza Strip since 2007 after a short conflict towards Fatah forces loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas, the top of the Palestinian Authority and Palestine Liberation Group (PLO).

When was Hamas fashioned and what’s its intention?

The Hamas motion was based in Gaza in 1987 by an imam, Sheikh Ahmed Yasin, and his aide Abdul Aziz al-Rantissi shortly after the beginning of the primary Intifada, an rebellion towards Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories.

The motion began as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and created a navy wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, to pursue an armed wrestle towards Israel with the intention of liberating historic Palestine.

It additionally provided social welfare programmes to Palestinian victims of the Israeli occupation.

What are the Palestinian group’s ideas?

In contrast to the PLO, Hamas doesn’t recognise Israel’s statehood however accepts a Palestinian state on 1967 borders.

“We will not waive an inch of the Palestinian dwelling soil it doesn’t matter what the latest pressures are and irrespective of how lengthy the occupation,” Khaled Meshaal, the leader-in-exile of the Palestinian group mentioned in 2017.

Hamas violently opposes the Oslo peace accords negotiated by Israel and the PLO within the mid-Nineteen Nineties.

It’s formally dedicated to establishing a Palestinian state inside its personal borders. It has pursued this intention by means of assaults on Israeli troopers, settlers and civilians each within the occupied Palestinian territories and in Israel.

The group as complete or in some situations its navy wing is designated as a “terrorist” organisation by Israel, the US, European Union, Canada, Egypt and Japan.

Who’re its allies and supporters?

Hamas is a part of a regional alliance that additionally contains Iran, Syria and the group Hezbollah in Lebanon, which opposes US insurance policies in direction of the Center East and Israel.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the second-largest armed group within the area, are sometimes united towards Israel and are crucial members of the joint operations room that coordinates navy exercise among the many numerous armed teams in Gaza.

The connection between the 2 teams has been tense when Hamas has exerted strain on Islamic Jihad to cease assaults towards Israel.

What prompted Saturday’s assault on Israel?

Hamas spokesperson Khaled Qadomi advised Al Jazeera that the group carried out its navy operation in response to atrocities that Palestinians have confronted over a long time.

“We wish the worldwide group to cease atrocities in Gaza towards Palestinian folks, our holy websites like Al-Aqsa [Mosque]. All this stuff are the rationale behind beginning this battle,” he mentioned.

Hamas additionally referred to as on different teams to hitch the combat, saying Saturday’s assaults have been only the start.

Is Hamas focusing on civilians?

Osama Hamdan, senior spokesperson for Hamas, advised Al Jazeera that the group was not attacking civilians although the group’s personal movies have proven its fighters taking aged Israelis hostage in the course of the preventing on Saturday.

Rights teams comparable to Amnesty Worldwide have additionally identified that Israeli civilians had been killed by Hamas.

However Hamdan insisted that the group was attacking solely settlers dwelling in unlawful settlements, whom he described as authentic targets.

“It’s important to differentiate between settlers and civilians. Settlers attacked Palestinians,” Hamdan mentioned.

Requested whether or not civilians in southern Israel have been additionally thought of settlers, Hamdan mentioned: “Everybody is aware of there are settlements there.”

“We aren’t focusing on civilians on goal. We’ve declared settlers are a part of the occupation and a part of the armed Israeli pressure. They don’t seem to be civilians,” he added.

How was the group in a position to perform the assault?

Hamas mentioned its fighters took a number of Israelis captive within the enclave, releasing movies of fighters dragging bloodied troopers. It mentioned senior Israeli navy officers have been among the many captives.

The movies couldn’t instantly be verified however matched geographic options of the world. Fears that Israelis have been kidnapped evoked reminiscences of the 2006 seize of soldier Gilad Shalit, whom Hamas-linked fighters seised in a cross-border raid. Hamas held Shalit for 5 years till he was exchanged for greater than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

Hamas additionally despatched paragliders flying into Israel, the Israeli navy mentioned. The assault recalled a well-known assault within the late Nineteen Eighties when Palestinian fighters crossed from Lebanon into northern Israel on hang-gliders and killed six Israeli troopers.