Hamas: A Social Welfare Government or War Machine? | Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies

Hamas prides itself on having a reputation dedicated to the public welfare of Palestinians and for providing a variety of social services. It retains this image despite its responsibility for a long list of brutal kidnappings and suicide attacks against Israel, and after waging three rounds of military confrontation over the course of seven years. The following study evaluates the veracity of this claim. The study assesses the extent to which the Hamas government balanced the costs of war-making with the needs of the population it ostensibly served.