The Road to October 7: Hamas's Long Game, Clarified

Combating Terrorism Center at West Point — Devorah Margolin and Matthew Levitt — October/November 2023 Volume 16, Issue 10

When Hamas took over the Gaza Strip by force of arms in 2007, it faced an ideological crisis. It could focus on governing Gaza and addressing the needs of the Palestinian people, or it could use the Gaza Strip as a springboard from which to attack Israel. Even then, Hamas understood these two goals we're mutually exclusive. And while some anticipated Hamas would moderate, or at least be co-opted by the demands of governing, it did not. Instead, Hamas invested in efforts to radicalize society and build the militant infrastructure necessary to someday launch the kind of attack that in its view could contribute to the destruction of Israel. This article explores the road from Hamas's 2007 takeover of Gaza to the October 2023 massacre.