Podcast Summary: Ask Haviv Anything — Episode 80

Who is Hamas and What Do They Want?

Host: Haviv Rettig Gur
Date: January 19, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Haviv Rettig Gur takes on the complex question: Who is Hamas and what do they want? Using a historical, ideological, and sociopolitical lens, Haviv explores the origins, motivations, inner divisions, and actions of Hamas. The conversation highlights how Hamas’s ideology, class dynamic, and strategic decisions have shaped its goals and the broader Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Origins and Ideological Foundations of Hamas

• Birth as a Social and Religious Movement

  • Founded in 1987 in Gaza, Hamas is fundamentally a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt, a movement from the 1920s aiming for renewal and strength in the Muslim world.
  • Main thought: Redemption will come from returning to early Islam’s values, strength, and “conquering ethos.”

  “Hamas is, in a very sort of structural, institutional sense, a social movement. A social movement, a religious movement. Founded in 1987 in the Gaza Strip. It saw itself... as a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt.” — Haviv ([00:05])

• Connection to the Muslim Brotherhood

  • The Brotherhood viewed the decline of the Muslim world as a result of abandoning the original piety and purpose of Islam.
  • Hamas, as a sibling movement, borrows this central tenet: Islam is the answer to everything that ails the Muslim world, and redemption lies in acting on this conviction.

  “If we return to their piety, we will regain our mojo, we will regain our place in history, we will regain our ability to meet modernity.” — Haviv ([02:10])

2. Hamas and the Palestinian Cause

• Opposition to Israel’s Existence

  • Hamas rejects a two-state solution. Any mention of compromise is only as a temporary measure, never as a permanent solution.
  • Early Hamas documents, like the 1988 charter, employ explicit antisemitic language, blaming not just Israel or Zionists, but Jews as a group.

  “In its 1988 charter, it explicitly talks about how the problem is... all the Jews, not Israelis, not Zionists, the Jews of the world... profoundly and explicitly antisemitic.” — Haviv ([04:40])

• Position in Palestinian History

  • For Hamas, restoring “true” Islam is intertwined with ending Israel’s existence. The defeat of Israel is depicted as necessary for the redemption of Islam after its decline; Palestinians are tasked with leading this reversal.
  • Hamas is as much at war with the peace process and Palestinian rivals as with Israel itself.

  “The removal of Israel is a part and parcel of that task. And Hamas believes that the Palestinians have been tasked with that first step.” — Haviv ([07:50])

3. Class Origins and Social Dynamics

• A Working-Class Rebellion

  • Hamas draws inspiration from Izzeddin Al Qassam (namesake of its military wing), who led working-class resistance in the 1930s.
  • Framing: The old Palestinian “elites” failed, and now ordinary people must take over.
  • Early Hamas was “meritocratic,” in contrast to Fatah and traditional elites.

  “Hamas is a rebellion. It's a rebellion by the working classes against the upper classes.” — Haviv ([09:20])

  “Hamas’ battalions are named the Al Qassam Brigades... a preacher... who preached to the dock workers of Haifa... the ordinary people armed with nothing but faith have to step in and redeem what has been lost.” — Haviv ([10:30])

4. Hamas in Power — Rule of Gaza and the Tunnel Strategy

• Hamas’s Governance and Military Vision

  • Hamas controlled Gaza for 17 years, investing enormous resources (much of Gaza’s economy) into building a vast and sophisticated tunnel network.
  • These are not mere bunkers—they are a long-term war infrastructure designed for endurance, logistics, and strategy.

  “Hamas spent much of Gaza's economy on the construction of a vast tunnel network... 500, 600 kilometers of tunnels under a 40 kilometer territory... air conditioning systems, electricity... built for years of habitation.” — Haviv ([15:10])

• Strategic Purpose of The Tunnels

  • The tunnels’ scale and exclusivity point to premeditation: Hamas purposely triggered the most recent war (October 7th) to exploit Israel’s likely response.
  • Paradoxically, Hamas expects and accepts the destruction of Gaza as part of its strategy to inflict costs on Israel, showing its broader ideological focus outweighs immediate local suffering.

  “Hamas intended for this war to look like this because Hamas viewed the destruction of Gaza as its strategy. The knock on cost to the Israelis would be the most serious cost...” — Haviv ([17:50])

5. Contradictions and Multiple Identities within Hamas

• Simultaneous Roles:

  • Charitable, social movement (like the Muslim Brotherhood): Runs charities, schools, and social services.
  • A working-class rebellion: An answer to failed elites.
  • A genocidal terror organization: Aligned, ideologically and often tactically, with groups like Al Qaeda.
  • A brutal authoritarian regime: Routinely kills domestic rivals, enforces strict control.

  “When you say, what is Hamas? The answer is it's many things all at once. Hamas is a grand ideological vision... a brutal tyranny... a working class rebellion... a genocidal terror organization...” — Haviv ([21:43])

• Power of Narrative and Meaning for Palestinians

  • For many Palestinians, Hamas’s story—that they are not simply victims but the vanguard of Islam’s return—is powerful and meaningful, even if costly.

  “You are not merely the displaced, weakest people in Islam... You are the turnaround from centuries of weakness. All of that all at once in this very complicated thing called Hamas.” — Haviv ([23:57])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the ideological root:

  “Islam is the answer to everything that ails the Muslim world today. And Hamas is a branch of that.” ([02:30])

• On class violence and the Palestinian divide:

  “This story of that sense of class war within Palestinian society makes it very hard for Fatah and Hamas to come together into any kind of Palestinian unity.” ([12:45])

• On Hamas’s calculation of Gaza’s destruction:

  “The destruction of Israel isn’t about saving Palestinians. It’s about a much bigger vision of the redemption of history.” ([19:40])

Important Timestamps

• 00:05 — What is Hamas? Historical roots and Muslim Brotherhood connections.
• 04:40 — Hamas’s foundational ideals and use of antisemitic narratives.
• 09:20 — Class divisions: Hamas as a working-class revolt.
• 15:10 — The tunnel network in Gaza: intention, scale, and implications.
• 17:50 — Hamas’s strategy: provoking and leveraging war and destruction.
• 21:43 — The multiple, paradoxical identities of Hamas.
• 23:57 — The emotional and narrative appeal of Hamas for Palestinians.

Conclusion

Haviv Rettig Gur explores Hamas’s roots and evolution—how it encompasses social welfare, class struggle, radical theology, and violent extremism—showing why it plays such a charged and powerful role not only in Palestinian life but in the broader struggle over history, identity, and the future of the region. Through layered narrative and analytical depth, Haviv equips listeners to see that Hamas cannot be reduced to a single, simple definition; it embodies history, ideology, power, and pain all at once.