Reality:

Posted on: May 22, 2024 at 11:43:01 CT

The idea of Hamas began to take form on December 10, 1987, when several members of the Brotherhood[g] convened the day after an incident in which an Israeli army truck crashed into a car at a Gaza checkpoint, killing four Palestinian day-workers, the impetus of the First Intifada. The group met at Yassin's house to strategize on how to maximize the incident's impact in spreading nationalist sentiments and sparking public demonstrations.[4] A leaflet issued on December 14 calling for resistance is considered its first public intervention, though the name Hamas itself was not used until January 1988.[4]

Hamas was formally recognized by the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood after a key meeting in Amman in February 1988.[112] Yassin was not directly connected to the organization but he gave it his blessing.[113]

Creating Hamas as an entity distinct from the Muslim Brotherhood was a matter of practicality; the Muslim Brotherhood refused to engage in violence against Israel,[114] but without participating in the intifada, the Islamists tied to it feared they would lose support to their rivals the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the PLO. They also hoped that by keeping the militant activities of Hamas separate, Israel would not interfere with the Muslim Brotherhood's social work.[h]