Hamas Logo PNG
The Hamas logo incorporates traditional Muslim motifs because it is an Islamist organization. It is a highly extremist movement, which is evident not only in its visual appearance but also in its actions: it constantly carries out military attacks against Israel, using extremely aggressive methods.
Hamas was founded on December 14, 1987, at the start of the First Palestinian Intifada against Israeli occupation. Its founders were Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, linked to the Palestinian branch of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, and Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi. The name is an Arabic acronym for the Islamic Resistance Movement.
Its 1988 charter called for an Islamic Palestinian state across historic Palestine and rejected Israel’s existence. The document drew international criticism for antisemitic passages. Unlike the Palestine Liberation Organization under Yasser Arafat, Hamas opposed compromise with Israel and rejected the Oslo Accords signed in 1993.
In its early years, Hamas built schools, hospitals, mosques, and charities in the West Bank and Gaza, gaining support through social services. At the same time, its military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, carried out attacks on Israeli soldiers and civilians. In the 1990s, Hamas competed with the PLO and, later, Fatah, for Palestinian political influence.
In January 2006, Hamas won the Palestinian parliamentary elections, after which the United States and the European Union refused to recognize its government. In June 2007, Hamas took control of Gaza after armed clashes with Fatah, while the West Bank remained under the Palestinian Authority. Major wars with Israel followed in 2008-2009, 2012, and 2014. In 2017, Hamas issued a softer political document but still did not recognize Israel. On October 7, 2023, it attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages; Israel responded with a large military operation in Gaza.
Meaning and History
The terrorist organization was started by the Muslim Brotherhood movement, which united supporters of Islam. After the Jewish settlement of Palestinian lands in 1967, it did not take active political and military action, focusing on promoting Muslim values through religious and social reforms. However, things changed dramatically in the 1980s when Ahmed Yassin took over the Brotherhood’s branch in the Gaza Strip. He and his associates founded several militant groups that preceded Hamas. In 1987, the Harakah al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya armed movement was officially formed based on these groups. Its emblem did not appear immediately; it was introduced a year later, when the appropriate abbreviation was invented.
What is Hamas?
This is a Palestinian military-political organization that emerged as a resistance movement. It controls the Gaza Strip, opposes Israel, and declares the destruction of Israel as its primary goal. The organization is designated as a terrorist group in many countries, although some states do not officially classify it as such. Ahmed Yassin and Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi founded it.
1987 – today
The Hamas emblem is the official emblem of this Islamist militant group. It consists of various elements whose main purpose is to show opposition to Israel. The upper part shows an administrative map that unites the lands of the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and Israel. The outlines of these territories are colored green, the symbolic color of Islamists, associated with their faith.
The central part of the logo depicts a fragment of the Dome of the Rock, the main Muslim shrine. Around it are wide ribbons with Arabic inscriptions in the Kufic style. They symbolize religious opposition to the world, proclaiming “There is no god but Allah” and “Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.” The banners are black, white, and green flags with a red triangle at the end.
In the foreground are crossed swords, a traditional element of Islamic heraldry. They are also directed against Israel and signify a willingness to destroy the Israelis, conquer their land, and impose Islamic beliefs by force. Thus, both blades demonstrate to the world the strength of Islam, the confrontational intentions of its followers, and the desire to spread the religion even by armed means.
Another ribbon is depicted at the bottom. Both ends are twisted, and in the middle, in white letters on a green background, the phrase “Islamic Resistance Movement – Hamas” is written. Above it, in the space, is the lone word “Palestine.” In this way, the Islamic movement emphasizes the terrorist nature of its actions, which pose a threat to neighboring territories.
Font and Colors
All text in the Hamas emblem is in Kufic script, with smooth, rounded, stroke-like lettering. The official color palette of the emblem includes the Islamists’ primary color, green, complemented by red, white, blue, black, gray, brown, and two shades of yellow.
