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 and beautiful state." Instead, he wrote, "A majority of Palestinians voted Hamas whose explicit goal is to destroy Israel," and Hamas' subsequent rocket firing, according to Bennett, forced the Israeli military to form a blockade on the Gaza Strip.