Hamas (حماس Ḥamās, an acronym of حركة المقاومة الاسلامية Ḥarakat al-Muqāwamat al-Islāmiyyah, meaning "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Islamic organization with a socio-political wing and a paramilitary force, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. After winning a majority of seats in the Palestinian Parliament in the January 2006 Palestinian parliamentary elections, and defeating rival Palestinian party Fatah in a series of violent clashes, since June 2007 Hamas has governed the Gaza portion of the Palestinian Territories. The European Union, Israel, Japan, Canada, and the United States classify Hamas as a terrorist organization.
