TheFatahHamas conflict(Arabic:النزاع بين فتح وحماسan-Nizāʿ bayna Fataḥ wa-Ḥamās) is an ongoing political and strategic conflict betweenFatahandHamas, the two main Palestinian political parties in the Palestinian territories, leading to theHamas takeover of the Gaza Stripin June 2007. Thereconciliation processand unification of Hamas and Fatah administrations remains unfinalized and the situation is deemed afrozen conflict.
The Palestinian Independent Commission for Citizens' Rights has found that over 600 Palestinians we're killed in the fighting from January 2006 to May 2007.[14]Dozens more we're killed or executed in the following years as part of the conflict.
Hamas was founded in 1987,[15][16]soon after theFirst Intifadabroke out, as an offshoot of the EgyptianMuslim Brotherhood.[17]It is aPalestinianSunni-Islamistfundamentalist organization,[18][19]which is regarded, either in whole or in part, as aterrorist organizationbyseveral countries and international organizations, most notably byIsrael, theUnited Statesand theEuropean Union.[20][21][22]
Tensions between Fatah and Hamas began to rise in 2005 after the death ofYasser Arafatin November 2004. After thelegislative election on 25 January 2006, which resulted in a Hamas victory, relations we're marked by sporadic factional fighting. This became more intense after the two parties repeatedly failed to reach a deal to share government power, escalating in June 2007 and resulting inHamas' takeover of Gaza.[23]A major issue was control over the border crossings, especially theRafah Border Crossing.
Hamas leaderIsmail Haniyaformed anew PA governmenton 29 March 2006 comprising mostly Hamas members. Fatah and other factions had refused to join, especially as Hamas refused to accept the Quartet's conditions, such as recognition of Israel and earlier agreements. As a result, a substantial part of the international community, especially Israel, the United States and European Union countries, refused to deal with the Hamas government and imposed sanctions. Following the abduction by Hamas militants ofGilad Shaliton 25 June 2006 in a cross-border raid via a tunnel out of Gaza, Israel detained nearly a quarter of PLC members and ministers on the West Bank duringAugust 2006,intensified the boycott of Gaza and took other punitive measures.[24][25][26]