People Claim a Majority of Palestinians in Gaza Elected Hamas — Here's Why It Isn't That Simple

As the Israel-Gaza crisis intensified in October 2023, various claims about the conflict circulated devoid of important historical context. One such claim argued the majority of Palestinians in Gaza elected Hamas, a Sunni Islamist political party and military organization that's considered a terrorist group by the U.S. and European Union (EU) — implying that most of today's population support the militant group’s actions toward Israel.

For instance, a post by former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett stated that when Israel pulled out of Gaza in 2005, Palestinians supposedly had the opportunity to turn it into "an amazing...