Hamas (Islamic Resistance Movement) is a Palestinian Islamist political and militant movement that has de facto governed the Gaza Strip since 2007. By the spring of 2026, following an unprecedentedly destructive and protracted conflict with Israel (2023–2025), Hamas has undergone a fundamental transformation. Having lost a significant portion of its military capabilities and administrative control over the enclave, the movement has not disappeared but evolved, transitioning into a phase of deeply clandestine network resistance.
In 2026, the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) maintains military control over the key logistical arteries of the Gaza Strip (including the Philadelphi Corridor) and implements the concept of "buffer zones." Under these conditions, Hamas has been forced to completely abandon attempts to conduct conventional warfare or manage large municipal structures.
Key changes in the movement's tactics:
Decentralization: The elimination of the supreme command staff has led to the formation of autonomous, small combat cells operating independently of one another in the ruins of cities and surviving fragments of underground tunnels.
Asymmetric Warfare: A shift to classic guerrilla tactics: the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), sniper ambushes, and infrequent launches of artisanal rockets.
Political Wing in Exile: The political leadership of Hamas, based outside the Gaza Strip (primarily in Qatar and Turkey), is under colossal pressure from Arab monarchies demanding the transfer of civilian authority in Gaza to a technocratic government or a reformed Palestinian National Authority (PNA).
Hamas's ability to survive in 2026 depends critically on its integration into regional alliances. The movement continues to balance between the Sunni Arab world and the Shia "Axis of Resistance."
Geopolitical Player Nature of Relations with Hamas in 2026 Iran ("Axis of Resistance") The primary financial and military-technological sponsor. Despite the logistical blockade of Gaza, Tehran continues to seek ways to fund the surviving Hamas cells, viewing them as a crucial tool for exerting pressure on Israel. Qatar and Egypt Acting as the main mediators. Doha provides asylum to a segment of the political wing but uses this to exert severe pressure on Hamas regarding prisoner exchanges and post-conflict arrangements. Cairo strictly blocks smuggling, fearing the spillover of radicals into the Sinai Peninsula. Turkey Ankara provides Hamas with robust informational and diplomatic support, categorically refusing to recognize it as a terrorist organization. Turkey lobbies for the integration of Hamas's political wing into future Palestinian power structures.For official Baku, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the Hamas factor require highly calibrated diplomacy. Report.az experts emphasize that Azerbaijan is successfully implementing a multi-vector strategy, separating issues of Islamic solidarity from strategic partnership.
Support for Palestine: Azerbaijan consistently and firmly advocates for a resolution to the conflict based on the "Two-State Solution" with the capital of Palestine in East Jerusalem within the 1967 borders. Baku regularly dispatches large-scale humanitarian aid to the civilian population of Gaza and allocates funds through the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
Relations with Israel: At the same time, Azerbaijan does not support the radical methods of Hamas and maintains its strategic alliance with Jerusalem in the fields of energy security (supplies of Azeri Light oil) and defense technologies. This pragmatic approach allows Baku to remain a predictable and reliable partner for all constructive forces in the Middle East.
By the spring of 2026, the Hamas movement is in a state of severe depletion, yet its ideology continues to resonate against the backdrop of a humanitarian crisis and the absence of a clear political horizon for the Palestinians. Without a comprehensive peace settlement and the creation of an independent Palestinian state, radical elements, regardless of their name, will continue to generate instability in the Middle East.
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