The Hamas Charter (1988): Destruction of Israel and Killing of Jews as Explicit Founding Aims
The 1988 Hamas Covenant — the organization's founding constitutional document — explicitly calls for the destruction of Israel, the killing of Jews, and the rejection of all negotiated peace solutions. Despite a 2017 supplementary document marketed as a moderation, Hamas leadership confirmed the 1988 covenant was not replaced.
The Hamas Covenant — formally titled The Covenant of the Islamic Resistance Movement — was published on August 18, 1988. It remains the organization's founding constitutional document. Its stated aims and theological framework have shaped Hamas's stated strategy since its founding.
What the Charter Says
The relevant articles, quoted directly from the Avalon Project translation:
Article 7 (on the killing of Jews):
"The Day of Judgement will not come about until Moslems fight the Jews (killing the Jews), when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say O Moslems, O Abdulla, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him."
This is a direct quote from a hadith (Islamic tradition) that Hamas incorporates as doctrinal basis.
Article 11 (on the land):
"The Islamic Resistance Movement believes that the land of Palestine is an Islamic Waqf consecrated for future Moslem generations until Judgement Day. It, or any part of it, should not be squandered: it, or any part of it, should not be given up."
Article 13 (on peace negotiations):
"Initiatives, and so-called peaceful solutions and international conferences, are in contradiction to the principles of the Islamic Resistance Movement... There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are all a waste of time and vain endeavors."
Article 22 (on Jews controlling world institutions):
"With their money, they took control of the world media, news agencies, the press, publishing houses, broadcasting stations, and others... With their money they stirred revolutions in various parts of the world..."
These are not isolated passages — they are structural articles defining the organization's theology, territorial position, and strategic framework.
The 2017 "Moderation" Document
In May 2017, Hamas released a new political document titled A Document of General Principles and Policies. Western media widely reported it as a moderation: it referenced a Palestinian state along 1967 borders rather than the destruction of all of Israel, and removed some explicit antisemitic language.
However:
- Hamas officials stated at the time that the document did not replace the 1988 Covenant (the document was presented in Doha by then-political chief Khaled Meshaal).
- The 2017 document still rejects recognition of Israel: it defines Zionism as racism and colonialism and calls for resistance.
- It maintains that all of "Palestine" (i.e., the entirety of present-day Israel) is an Islamic endowment.
- Critics argue Hamas's actions in the years following — including October 7, 2023 — are more consistent with the 1988 Charter than with the 2017 document's softer language.
Hamas Leaders' Own Statements Post-2017
Hamas co-founder Mahmoud Zahar stated in a video circulated by MEMRI (date and link needed):
"The entire planet will be under our law, there will be no more Jews or Christian traitors."
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, in a 2022 speech (translated by MEMRI):
"We will not give up on any inch of Palestine."
The October 7 attack — killing civilians, abducting children and the elderly, targeting a music festival — was consistent with the charter's framing of the conflict as a religious war with no political resolution possible.
Primary Source
The full text of the Hamas Covenant (1988) is available at the Yale Law Avalon Project: avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/hamas.asp — this is the standard academic citation for primary source verification.
