How has the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) tackled the challenge of ruling the Gaza Strip in a context of almost total isolation?

The report finds that Hamas maintained the general structure of Palestinian Authority (PA) institutions to ensure constitutional continuity, though it replaced many management-level officials with loyalists. To survive the Israeli-Egyptian embargo, Hamas established a 'tunnel economy' based on smuggled goods and created its own taxation systems. Public services in health and education were maintained through a pragmatic 'division of labour' with the Fatah-led government in Ramallah, which continued to pay salaries for most staff. However, the judiciary was completely restructured into a parallel apparatus. While some conservative cultural shifts were observed, the report concludes that Hamas's actions reflect power politics and crisis management rather than a grand 'Islamic revolution' or a total redesign of government based on religious principles.

• Hamas generally preserved the existing structure of Palestinian Authority (PA) governmental institutions to maintain a degree of constitutional continuity, although it systematically replaced management-level officials with Hamas affiliates.
• The judiciary was a notable exception to institutional continuity; because the Gaza government could not legally control the existing judiciary, it established a parallel judicial apparatus, including the High Justice Council, to replace the High Judiciary Council.
• To counter the Israeli embargo, Hamas developed an alternative economic space centered on smuggling tunnels at the Rafah border with Egypt, which by 2009 provided an estimated 80% of Gaza's imports.
• The Gaza government implemented its own taxation mechanisms for smuggled goods, imports, and business/property to generate revenue, though it remained heavily dependent on external donations from friendly states and Islamic charities.
• Basic health and education services were sustained through a pragmatic 'division of labour' where the Ramallah government paid salaries for the bulk of the staff, while the Gaza government paid for additional personnel recruited after the takeover.
• Despite political rivalry, technical-level coordination between Gaza and Ramallah continued for essential services, such as the procurement of medical supplies and the administration of the Tawjihi secondary school exams.
• The education sector suffered a decline in quality due to the replacement of experienced veteran teachers—who went on strike in 2008—with thousands of inexperienced Hamas-affiliated recruits.
• In the health sector, the Israeli embargo caused critical shortages of essential drugs and medical equipment, and hindered the ability of patients to access specialized treatment abroad.
• Hamas utilized traditional 'sulha' (conciliation) committees as a temporary substitute for the formal judiciary to resolve civil disputes during the period of judicial paralysis following the takeover.
• There is no evidence of a comprehensive redesign of government institutions based on Islamic principles; instead, the report observed a trend toward conservative cultural and moral codes, such as the promotion of the hijab in schools.
• The report concludes that Hamas's governance in Gaza is characterized by power politics and reactive crisis management to ensure regime survival rather than a proactive 'Islamic revolution'.

APA

Hovdenak, A. (2010). How has the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) tackled the challenge of ruling the Gaza Strip in a context of almost total isolation? Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/1ab44969-bc0b-48f6-b730-7a8e01eb0e08/The_Public_Services_under_Hamas_in_Gaza.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Hovdenak, Are. How has the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) tackled the challenge of ruling the Gaza Strip in a context of almost total isolation? Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2010. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/1ab44969-bc0b-48f6-b730-7a8e01eb0e08/The_Public_Services_under_Hamas_in_Gaza.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{hovdenak2010how, author = {Hovdenak, Are}, title = {{How has the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) tackled the challenge of ruling the Gaza Strip in a context of almost total isolation?}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2010}, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/1ab44969-bc0b-48f6-b730-7a8e01eb0e08/The_Public_Services_under_Hamas_in_Gaza.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }