The connection between Hamas and Lebanon

Since Hamas carried out military operations on settlements in the Gaza Strip in occupied Palestine and launched rockets on Tuesday from southern Lebanon into occupied Palestine, many Lebanese have started asking, "What does Hamas have to do with Lebanon?"

The story began in 1948 when Jewish groups took control of a significant part of Palestine and established the state of Israel, which did not exist at the time.

As a result, many Palestinians were displaced to neighboring countries, including Lebanon, and they began settling in areas that later became known as Palestinian refugee camps on Lebanese territory.

The primary role in these camps and beyond was played by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) under the leadership of Yasser Arafat and its main faction, Fatah, as there were no significant Islamic Palestinian forces at that time.

After the uprising known as the First Intifada in 1987, a group of Muslim Brotherhood leaders in the Gaza Strip announced the formation of Hamas, an acronym derived from:

- Ha: Harakah (Movement)
- M: Muqawamah (Resistance)
- AS: Islamiyah (Islamic).

Hamas believed resistance against Israeli occupation was the only way to liberate Palestine.

Thus, some Palestinians in Lebanese refugee camps joined the movement, but their numbers remained limited.

However, Hamas's presence in Lebanon expanded somewhat in 1993 when Israel expelled over 400 movement members inside Palestine to the Marj Al-Zohour area in Lebanon, between the Western Beqaa and Hasbaya.

Hamas then entered the Palestinian political arena in the refugee camps and started collaborating with Hezbollah, receiving support from Hezbollah and Iran as a Palestinian resistance movement.

This cooperation later evolved and led to military collaboration.
So, will the Hamas Movement play a role in the Al-Aqsa uprising, starting from southern Lebanon?