Hamas ( " zeal " in Arabic and an acronym for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya ) grew in power and began attacks on military and civilian targets in Israel at the beginning of the First Intifada in 1987 . The 1988 charter of Hamas calls for the destruction of Israel . Hamas 's armed wing , the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades , was established in mid 1991 and claimed responsibility for numerous attacks against Israelis , principally suicide bombings and rocket attacks . Hamas has been accused of sabotaging the Israeli-Palestine peace process by launching attacks on civilians during Israeli elections to anger Israeli voters and facilitate the election of harder-line Israeli candidates . Hamas has been designated as a terrorist group by Canada , the United States , Israel , Australia , Japan , the United Nations Commission on Human Rights and Human Rights Watch . It is banned in Jordan . Russia does not consider Hamas a terrorist group as it was " democratically elected " . During the second intifada ( September 2000 through August 2005 ) 39.9 percent of the suicide attacks were carried out by Hamas . The first Hamas suicide attack was the Mehola Junction bombing in 1993 . Hamas claims its aims are " To contribute in the effort of liberating Palestine and restoring the rights of the Palestinian people under the sacred Islamic teachings of the Holy Quran , the Sunna ( traditions ) of Prophet Mohammad ( peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) and the traditions of Muslims rulers and scholars noted for their piety and dedication . " Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine is a Palestinian Islamist group based in the Syrian capital , Damascus , and dedicated to waging jihad to eliminate the state of Israel . It was formed by Palestinian Fathi Shaqaqi in the Gaza Strip following the Iranian Revolution which inspired its members . From 1983 onward , it engaged in " a succession of violent , high-profile attacks " on Israeli targets . The Intifada which " it eventually sparked " was quickly taken over by the much larger Palestine Liberation Organization and Hamas . Beginning in September 2000 , it started a campaign of suicide bombing attacks against Israeli civilians . The PIJ 's armed wing , the Al-Quds brigades , has claimed responsibility for numerous terrorist attacks in Israel , including suicide bombings . The group has been designated as a terrorist organization by several Western countries
Mehola Junction bombing
Mehola Junction bombing
Islamic terrorism