In the late 1970s, activists associated with an Islamic organization called the Muslim Brotherhood established a network of charities, clinics, and schools in the Israeli-occupied territories of the Gaza Strip and West Bank (see Israel). The brotherhood's activities were usually nonviolent. By the 1980s, however, the continued Israeli occupation brought calls from some Palestinians for jihad, or holy war, against Israel. Hamas was established in 1988 by members of the brotherhood and by religious members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Hamas viewed Palestine as an Islamic homeland that must never be surrendered to non-Muslims. This view was opposed by the PLO, which maintained Israel's right to exist. Hamas quickly grew in membership and influence, and in the early 1990s began an intifada, or uprising, against Israel, which responded with increased security and military force.

In 1994 Israel signed an agreement with the Palestinian Authority (PA), a newly established body charged with governing the occupied territories. Israeli forces withdrew from Gaza and parts of the West Bank, and Palestinian self-rule was established in Gaza and the West Bank city of Jericho. Hamas rejected the accords and expanded the intifada, ordering suicide bomb attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians. Periodic peace talks failed, and the violence continued into the 21st century. (See also Arafat, Yasir; Israel; Palestine; Palestine Liberation Organization.)