Global Outlook

 Involving multiple causes and various perpetrators, the Israel-Hamas war is one of the longest and most violent ongoing modern conflicts. A surprise brutal attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7 has initiated the war in Gaza, with scores of fatalities reported on either side. But what is Hamas? A spin-off of the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in the late 1980s, the Islamist militant group took over Gaza after defeating its rival political party, Fatah, in elections in 2006. While a number of countries have designated Hamas a terrorist entity, some apply the label only to its military wing. On the other hand, Iran offers the group material and financial support. It's rival political party, Fatah, which rules in the West Bank and dominates the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), has renounced violence. The split in the Palestinian leadership and Hamas' prominent and unwavering hostility toward Israel have been blamed for diminishing prospects for stability in...