As the Israel-Gaza crisis heightened in October 2023, several claims circulated about the conflict without considering important historical context. One such claim argued that the majority of Palestinians in Gaza elected Hamas, a Sunni Islamist political party and military organization labeled as a terrorist group by the U.S. and European Union (EU), implying that most of the current population supports the militant group’s actions against Israel. However, this claim overlooks crucial details. It is true that Hamas won the most recent election among Palestinians in Gaza in 2006, but this victory was not attained by a majority of votes. Nevertheless, the group did secure the majority of seats in the legislature. It is misleading to equate this electoral result with the views of the people in the region today.

With regards to the growth of Hamas, the last election in Gaza occurred around 17 years ago in 2006, where the secular Fatah and the Islamist Hamas competed for dominance. Israel initially saw Hamas as a counterweight to the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and supported them to challenge the PLO’s influence. However, Israeli officials argue that they should not be held responsible for Hamas’ rise, instead pointing to external entities such as Iran as major backers of the group.

In the 2006 election, Hamas, led by Ismail Haniyeh, secured around 44% of the votes in the region, which resulted in a majority of seats in the legislature. This election utilized both a plurality voting system and proportional representation. It is important to acknowledge that the context of the election was influenced by divisions between Gaza and the West Bank, alongside Israel’s restrictions on movement and the establishment of a blockade on Gaza.

Regarding claims about Hamas’ anti-Semitism, while the group’s 1988 charter contained anti-Semitic statements, such as expressing a significant struggle against Jews, Hamas modified its election manifesto weeks before the 2006 elections to appeal to mainstream Palestinian sentiments of establishing a state within the occupied territories. Hamas removed its call for the destruction of Israel from its election manifesto. The success of Hamas in the 2006 election can be attributed more to their promises of “change and reform” in response to the perceived corruption and failure of the Palestinian Authority and Fatah, rather than solely their anti-Semitic views.

It is worth noting that Palestinian territories have not held an election since 2006.