Hamas - Islamist Palestinian Organization

Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a co-founder of the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the paramilitary wing of the Islamist Palestinian militant group Hamas, was found assassinated in a hotel room in Dubai on Jan. 19, 2010.

The assassination caught international attention over allegations that it was carried out by Mossad agents holding faked passports from several European countries and Australia under the orders from the Israeli government. Mahmoud al-Mabhouh was wanted by Israel for the kidnapping and murder of two Israeli soldiers in 1989, which is cited as a possible motive for the assassination.

Hamas (in Arabic, an acronym for ¡°Harakat Al-Muqawama Al-Islamia¡± -- Islamic Resistance Movement -- and a word meaning courage and bravery) is a Palestinian Islamic socio-political organization, which includes both military and political wings.

Hamas is a Sunni Islamic organization established at the beginning of the first Intifada (December 1987) by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. Hamas is dedicated to the establishment of an Islamic Palestinian state that encompasses Israel, the West Bank and Gaza.

The Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades Hamas¡¯s military wing formed in 1992 -- conducted out numerous anti-Israeli attacks including suicide bombings, rocket attacks, IED attacks, and shootings.
Hamas probably has several hundred members in the al-Qassam Brigades, along with tens of thousands of supporters and sympathizers.

Hamas receives some funding, weapons and training from Iran. It also gets donations from Palestinian expatriates around the world and private benefactors in Arab states. Some fundraising activities take place in Western Europe and North America.

Canada, the European Union, Israel, Japan, and the United States classify Hamas as a terrorist organization, while countries like Australia and the U.K. only classify the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades as a terrorist organization.

Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal gives a speech during the funeral for Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Damascus on January 31, 2010. The commander was targeted by Israel for smuggling special weapons to the Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian Islamist group. However, Israel? government declined official comment on the death of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh.