Politicide of Hamas

Politicide describes the deliberate destruction of a particular political group or ideology. It involves military actions to eradicate the political identity, influence, and existence of Hamas members and leaders. Politicide conveys a sense of targeted political violence, such as assassinations and repression, and it is used in discussions about political persecution, ideological suppression, or targeted campaigns against the Hamas movements and the political and military branches of the organization as a whole.

The term Politicide first used by the Israeli sociologist Baruch Kimmerling. He introduced it in his writings to describe the deliberate destruction and suppression of political groups, especially Hamas and Hezbollah. Kimmerling used it to analyze situations where political identities or movements were systematically targeted, undermined, and destroyed.

Dr. Kimmerling applied Politicide in his writings to explain the Israeli political and military domination over the Palestinian people. He examined how the Israeli state's policies and actions were causing the erosion of the political identity and rights of the Palestinian people.

Dr. Kimmerling's research concentrated on how Israeli political and military strategies and apartheid policies led to the marginalization, dehumanization, and disempowerment of the Palestinian people, which he saw as Politicide.

Politicide was mainly focused on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. However, the concept can be applied to various situations where political groups are systematically targeted and suppressed, besides the Politicide of Hamas and Hezbollah, some notable instances include:

The Khmer Rouge Regime in Cambodia (1975-1979) Estimated 1.7 million people died

The Rwandan Genocide (1994) Over 800,000 people died

Stalinist Repressions in the Soviet Union (1930s-1950s) The Great Purge, where thousands of people were executed and sent to labor camps and the Ukrainine Famine where millions died

The Armenian Genocide (1915-1923) Estimated 1.5 million people died

The Chinese Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) Estimated 1 to 2 million people died