Hamas--Hamas, officially the Islamic Resistance Movement, is a Sunni Islamist political and militant organization currently governing the Gaza Strip of the Palestinian territories. While it is headquartered in Gaza City, it also has a presence in the West Bank. Dozens of countries have designated Hamas a terrorist organization, including the U.S. Canada, Israel, and Japan. So far, the UN has refrained from using the label.
Gaza--The Gaza Strip, or simply Gaza, is a narrow piece of land located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, bordered by Israel to the east and north, and Egypt to the southwest. Gaza is home to more than 2 million.
West Bank--The West Bank is a landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediterranean Sea that forms the main bulk of the Palestinian territories. It is bordered by Jordan and the Dead Sea to the east and by Israel to the south, west, and north. The holy city of Jerusalem is considered by international law as part of the West Bank, with East Jerusalem being claimed as the capital by both Israelis and Palestinians.
Hezbollah--Hezbollah is a Shiite Muslim political party and militant group based in Lebanon, where its extensive security apparatus, political organization, and social services network fostered its reputation as “a state within a state.” Founded in the chaos of the fifteen-year Lebanese Civil War, the Iran-backed group is driven by its opposition to Israel and its resistance to Western influence in the Middle East.
