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It also set itself in opposition to the [[secular]] [[Fatah]] movement. In the 2006 elections to the [[Palestinian Authority]] legislature Hamas gained a majority of seats; its government was dissolved in June 1997 by Palestinian President [[Mahmoud Abbas]] following the military takeover by Hamas of the [[Gaza Strip]] after several days of fighting between Hamas and Fatah.

It also set itself in opposition to the [[secular]] [[Fatah]] movement. In the 2006 elections to the [[Palestinian Authority]] legislature Hamas gained a majority of seats; its government was dissolved in June 1997 by Palestinian President [[Mahmoud Abbas]] following the military takeover by Hamas of the [[Gaza Strip]] after several days of fighting between Hamas and Fatah.

The military wing of Hamas is called the '''Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades''' in memory of Sheikh Izz ad-Din al-Qassam, killed by the British in 1935 near Haifa.

The military wing of Hamas is called the "Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades" in memory of Sheikh Izz ad-Din al-Qassam, killed by the British in 1935 near Haifa.

Hamas conducts numerous social welfare actions, known as ''Dawa'', including relief and education programs, school funding, soup kitchens, and sports leagues. These programs are viewed variously as part of a sincere social development agenda, as propaganda and recruitment exercises, or both. In December 2001, the Bush administration seized the assets of the '''Holy Land Foundation''', the largest Muslim charity in the United States, on suspicions it was funding Hamas.<ref>''ibid.''</ref>  

Hamas conducts numerous social welfare actions, known as ''Dawa'', including relief and education programs, school funding, soup kitchens, and sports leagues. These programs are viewed variously as part of a sincere social development agenda, as propaganda and recruitment exercises, or both. In December 2001, the Bush administration seized the assets of the Holy Land Foundation, the largest Muslim charity in the United States, on suspicions it was funding Hamas.<ref>''ibid.''</ref>  

==References==

==References==