Hamas is celebrating its anniversary this month, with thousands of young people participating in mass rallies in the Gaza Strip to commemorate the group's founding on Dec. 14, 1987.

The fundamentalist Islamic movement's young people are active in its organizational and partisan bodies and are a valuable asset when it comes to armed operations. This is why Hamas’ youth are seen as the main driving force of the movement’s field operations. Yet its younger members are noticeably absent in leadership positions.

On Nov. 27, the first International Youth Conference was held in Gaza and drew many of Hamas’ figureheads and leaders to discuss young Palestinians' issues and needs. Al-Monitor held a series of meetings with Hamas officials from various levels, who expressed different positions on why young members aren't moving up in the ranks. Some officials blamed the young people themselves, while others said Hamas’ charter impedes their progress.

Hamas spokesman Hazem Kassem told Al-Monitor, “Hamas is a young movement established [almost] 30 years ago and has thousands of young members. There are no regulations preventing its young members from advancing, and indeed some of Hamas’ Shura Council members are under the age of 40.”