The magnitude of Hamas’ media mobilization in response to Israeli accusations of being the same as the Islamic State (IS) was remarkable. Hamas spokespeople and prominent leaders denied the accusations, which have not fooled Western circles.
The political differences between Hamas and IS are primarily ideological and doctrinal, which have prompted many Salafist jihadist members to abandon Hamas as they disagreed with its approach. Many of these Salafist jihadists later joined radical groups, among them IS.