Book by Sara Roy examines Hamas's social service networks in Gaza which includes schools, clinics, welfare organizations, and charitable associations, arguing that these institutions form the foundation of Hamas's popular legitimacy. Roy draws on years of fieldwork to analyze how Hamas engaged Gaza's civil society and built an alternative social infrastructure. An important counterweight to purely security-focused analyses of Hamas. Of particular value to researchers and policy analysts seeking to understand Hamas's social service networks, the foundations of Hamas's legitimacy among Gazan civilians, and the civil society dimensions of Palestinian Islamist politics.
