How long have hamas been classed as terrorist group
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Executive summary
Hamas was founded in late 1987 during the first Palestinian intifada (uprising) and is widely described as a militant Islamist movement that split from the Muslim Brotherhood [1] [2]. Major Western designations as a “terrorist” organization began in the mid‑1990s and continued into the 2000s and 2020s, with the United States formally listing Hamas as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 1997 and the European Union and United Kingdom taking separate, staggered steps in later years [3] [2] [4].
1. Origins and the start of international concern
Hamas formed in late 1987 at the outset of the first intifada and combined social‑service activity with an armed wing, the Izz al‑Din al‑Qassam Brigades, that carried out attacks against Israeli targets through the 1990s and 2000s—background that shaped later terrorism designations [1] [5] [3].
2. The United States: a layered, three‑stage process
The U.S. government’s labeling of Hamas evolved over time: analysts note that the U.S. effectively barred Hamas from peace‑process participation in the mid‑1990s under Clinton‑era measures and then placed Hamas on the State Department’s formal Foreign Terrorist Organization list in October 1997; commentators summarize this as three separate U.S. actions that culminated in the 1997 FTO designation and subsequent Treasury designations tied to sanctions regimes [6] [3] [7].
3. Europe and the UK: staggered, legally contested steps
The European Union added Hamas to its terrorist list in 2003, then removed it after legal challenges in 2018 and restored restrictions in 2021, reflecting legal and evidentiary hurdles in EU courts [2]. The United Kingdom first proscribed the Hamas military wing in 2001 and later proscribed the entirety of Hamas in 2021, turning membership or support into a criminal offence under UK law [4].
4. Other national stances and partial lists
A number of other countries and jurisdictions have designated Hamas or elements of it: Australia has listed Hamas for financial sanctions since the early 2000s and many countries—including Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Paraguay and others—appear on lists of states that classify Hamas as a terrorist organization or target it with sanctions, though the timing and scope vary by country [8] [9] [10] [11].
5. Legal meaning and practical consequences of designation
In U.S. law, listing Hamas as a Foreign Terrorist Organization makes it unlawful to provide material support and triggers asset freezes and immigration restrictions under sanction regimes, and Treasury and State‑level listings have been used to deny funds and impose other penalties [3] [7]. Similar practical effects flow from EU, UK and national proscription regimes—freezing assets, criminalizing support and restricting movement—though the exact legal tools and thresholds differ among jurisdictions [2] [4].
6. Why designations differ: law, evidence and politics
The patchwork of dates and categories—military wing vs entire organization, EU removals and relistings, and media choices in terminology—reveals that designation is both a legal process dependent on evidentiary standards and a political choice shaped by diplomatic strategy and domestic law; media coverage also varies in whether outlets describe Hamas as a “terrorist” group, “militant” movement or governing party, illustrating competing framings [12] [2].
7. Bottom line on “how long”
Answering “how long have Hamas been classed as a terrorist group” depends on the jurisdiction: many Western governments began formal legal steps in the mid‑ to late‑1990s—most notably the United States’ FTO listing in October 1997—while the EU and the UK completed their principal proscription decisions in the 2000s and 2020s, producing a multi‑decade record of terrorist designations and related sanctions [3] [2] [4].