No, Israel did not directly finance or arm Hamas. Hamas was founded in 1987 by Palestinian imam and activist Ahmed Yassin. The group was formed during the first Palestinian intifada, or uprising, against Israel.
Hamas is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, a transnational Sunni Islamist group that first formed in Egypt. The group's name is an Arabic acronym for "Islamic Resistance Movement". Hamas wants to create a Palestinian state.
Hamas was founded after four Palestinians were killed in a traffic accident involving an Israeli driver. The events that followed led to a Palestinian uprising against Israel's West Bank and Gaza occupation. Hamas emerged from Mujama al-Islamiya, a religious charity that Yassin founded in Gaza in 1973.
Hamas reportedly receives much of its funding, weapons, and training from Iran.
