The Islamic charity Mujama al-Islamiya was established in Gaza

Gaza

Gaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...

 by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in 1973, and started to offer clinics, blood banks, day care, medical treatment, meals and youth clubs. The centre plays an important role for providing social care to the people, particularly those living in refugee camps. It also extended financial aid and scholarships to young people who wanted to study in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...

 and the West.

Mujama al-Islamiya was recognized by Israel in 1979. Israel allowed the organization to build mosques, clubs, schools, and a library in Gaza.

In 1984, the Israeli military raided a mosque and found a cache of weapons. Sheikh Yassin was jailed. He was released after a year and continued to expand Mujama's reach across Gaza.

In 1987, Yassin and six other Mujama Islamists launched Hamas

Hamas

Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...

, or the Islamic Resistance Movement.