Hamas was formally established in 1987 on the basis of the Palestinian wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, a transnational Sunni Islamist organization (banned in Russia as terrorist).
In the late 1970s, the Likud party that came to power in Israel used to support Palestine's Muslim Brotherhood, which positioned itself as a competitor to Fatah and, until a certain point, did not resort to violence in its fighting for independence. Fatah's current leader, Mahmoud Abbas, is now the president of the Palestinian Authority, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is the incumbent chairman of Likud.
"Yes, Hamas was funded by the Israeli government, which was trying to weaken the Palestinian Authority led by Fatah," Borrell said in a speech he delivered after receiving the title of Doctor Honoris Causa at the University of Valladolid, Spain.
The top EU diplomat spoke for the recognition of the Palestinian state and criticized the fact that, despite its vocal support for the two-state solution, the international community had "not done much to achieve it." Netanyahu has "personally boycotted this decision over the past 30 years," Borrell added.
On October 7, 2023, Palestinian movement Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip, while its fighters breached the border, opening fire on the military and civilians. As a result, over 1,200 people in Israel were killed and some 240 others abducted. Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza and launched a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages. Over 24,600 people have been killed so far in Gaza as a result of Israeli strikes, local authorities said.
On November 24, Qatar mediated a deal between Israel and Hamas on a temporary truce and the exchange of some of the prisoners and hostages, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire was extended several times and expired on December 1.