“Björn Brenner has given us a rare and useful contribution to the scant academic literature on how Hamas has actually functioned as the de facto power in Gaza since 2006. The book will be welcomed by students of Islamist politics and Palestinian studies.”
Journal of Islamic Studies
“Against heaps of reductionist literature and media portrayals that render Hamas as an extremist terrorist group, Björn Brenner provides in this book an authoritative and empirical study that debunks such Western, and mainly official, depictions of the movement.”
Journal of Palestine Studies
“What makes Björn Brenner’s account especially valuable is its focus on how Hamas has managed to create a functioning government in Gaza. This book is recommended for providing other insights into the nature of Hamas’s rule which, due to the author’s access to Hamas leaders and operatives, will not be found in other studies.”
Perspectives on Terrorism
“A useful contribution to the study of Hamas’s exercise of state power.”
The Times Literary Supplement
“Björn Brenner has contributed invaluable research through Gaza Under Hamas. Apart from establishing the centrality of Hamas rule to a political solution for Palestine, the book also expounds upon the spectrum of misconceptions, strengths and flaws associated with this movement.”
Israel Book Review
“Gaza Under Hamas constitutes a significant contribution to the Hamas-related literature. It departs from the conventional discussion about the group’s role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and treats Hamas as an instance of Islamic governance.”
Middle East Policy
“It is good to see academics tackling subjects which are normally left to journalists, hardly the most objective of professionals at the best of times. The author is to be commended for taking on a complex situation and trying to make sense of it.”
Middle East Monitor
“In Gaza Under Hamas, Björn Brenner takes a closer look at how a group that has been seen as having an ideological commitment to violence has actually governed, and discovers an organisation that is able to govern in ways that can be variously seen as Islamist but also secular, and democratic but then authoritarian.”
Middle East Eye
“Björn Brenner’s book constitutes an important contribution to our understanding of Hamas and how Islamist ideas are translated into political practices. This book also provides a great opportunity for researchers to learn from Brenner’s best practices in how to conduct field research in conflict zones.”
Swedish Journal of Political Science
“Gaza Under Hamas is a superb corrective to the polemic narratives peddled on either side of the bitter conflict in that sad territory.”
Sir Roger Tomkys, University of Cambridge
“The book is particularly commendable for its strictly scientific analysis of an otherwise much politicised issue.”
Prof Karma Nabulsi, Oxford University
“Björn Brenner provides an inside view of Hamas in power, based on extensive fieldwork alongside trenchant insights and incisive analysis. His book is an important contribution to the literature by greatly enhancing our understanding of the evolution of terrorist organizations from grassroots violence to formal governance.”
Prof Bruce Hoffman, Georgetown University
“This is one of the rare books about Hamas that manages to be both balanced and insightful. Based on a broad range of primary sources, this in-depth study of Gaza under Hamas rule provides as full and comprehensive a picture as possible. A must-read for scholars, students, and diplomats alike!”
Prof Peter Neumann, King’s College London
“This book not only helps address many misconceived notions about the challenges which Hamas has faced since it was elected in 2006 but it also assists readers in nuancing the particular context in which such a case of Islamist governance actually operates.”
Prof Michelle Pace, Roskilde University
“Gaza Under Hamas is a fascinating, original, and uniquely well-researched analysis of how Hamas governs. Drawing on four years of ethnographic research, the author combines empirical granularity and analytical clarity to provide a wealth of new insights on the domestic politics of the Gaza Strip.”
Prof Thomas Hegghammer, University of Oslo
“Björn Brenner provides a well-researched, timely and extensive account of Hamas’s complex approach to governance, also offering a very interesting portrait of life in the Gaza Strip.”
Dr Benedetta Berti, Foreign Policy Research Institute