Hamas is designated a terrorist organization by Israel, the EU, the USA and the UN. The author investigates Hamas's decades of governance after its victory in the 2006 elections, with the spotlight on the government's actions, rather than its ideas. Lodging with Palestinian familes, he offers an intimate perspective of the group as seen through local eyes. The book is also based on hard-to-secure interviews with a wide range of key political and security figures in the Hamas administration, with military commanders, and with members of the feared Qassam Brigades. This updated edition covers recent events since 2016, revisits original conclusions, and reflects on the future for Hamas. An added chapter discusses Hamas's new Charter, shifting power-balance within, changing regional dynamics--and how we can understand the relationship between Hamas and democracy today. -- Adapted from back cover.