Hamas's overwhelming electoral victory in January 2006 transformed politics in the Middle East and shocked the world. Hamas was able to seize control of the entire Gaza Strip in June 2007, despite its status as a terrorist organization in Israel, the U.S., and the E.U. Azzam Tamimi's longtime relationships and extensive interviews with Hamas's leading members allow him to create a more intimate portrait of Hamas in its own words. This book is a history of Hamas from its origins among the Muslim Brotherhood to the present.

Acknowledgments -- Introduction to the second edition -- Introduction -- The beginnings -- From Da'wah to jihad -- An all-out war -- Into Jordan -- The Mish'al affair -- Out of Jordan -- The liberation ideology of Hamas -- Jihad and martyrdom -- Hamas, the PLO, and the Palestinian Authority -- Hamas in government -- Towards the next intifada? -- Appendix I: This is what we struggle for -- Appendix II: The Islamic resistance movement (Hamas) -- Appendix III: We will not sell our people or our principles for foreign aid -- Appendix IV: What Hamas is seeking -- Appendix V: A just peace or no peace -- Appendix VI: Hamas election manifesto for the legislative elections held on 25 January 2006.