Declared a terrorist menace yet voted into government in a free election Hamas then used its Gaza power base to launch crossborder attacks that scorched Israel and transformed the dynamics of the IsraeliPalestinian conflict. How did a small Palestinian offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood grow to challenge longestablished rivals such as the PLO Who supports Hamas and what is its agenda How powerful has it become and how strong will it remain With decades of combined experience researching and reporting from the occupied West Bank and Gaza Jerusalem and around the Middle East Beverley MiltonEdwards and Stephen Farrell gained unrivalled access to Hamas. Drawing on years of frontline reporting and interviews with members of the groups founding generation and their successors who now lead it they trace Hamas path to the shocking attacks of 07 October 2023 and their devastating aftermath.