Israel’s disengagement from the Gaza Strip in August 2005 created a new situation which accelerated the establishment of the area controlled by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. It enabled it to translate its increased power on the ground into gains in internal Palestinian politics was well. It won a landslide victory in the January 2006 Palestinian Legislative Council
elections, formed a government in March 2006, and took over the Gaza Strip by force in June
2007, neutralizing Fatah and the Palestinian Authority.