Hamas is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization that emerged in 1987 as an offshoot of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. Hamas is committed to armed resistance against Israel and the creation of an Islamic Palestinian state in Israels place. The group considers Israel an occupying power and insists that it is trying to liberate the Palestinian territories. Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by dozens of countries, including the US. The group has conducted many anti-Israel attacks in both Israel and the Palestinian territories since the 1990s, including large-scale bombings against Israeli civilian targets, small-arms attacks, improvised roadside explosives, and rocket attacks. Hamas has fought four wars with Israel and exchanged fire numerous times since it seized control of Gaza from forces loyal to the Palestinian Authority in 2007. The group governs more than two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.