Hamas, which as of 2023 had been the governing authority of the Gaza Strip, has foreign relations that spans various countries around the world. As of 2023, Mousa Abu Marzook is the group's head of international relations office.

Africa Egypt Egypt under Mohamed Morsi who was in power from 2011 to 2013, supported Hamas.

South Africa

Hamas sent an official delegation to South Africa for the 10th anniversary of the death of Nelson Mandela, joining African National Congress minister Lindiwe Zulu at a wreath-laying event on 5 December 2023.

Sudan Sudan under President Omar al-Bashir was a major supporter and provided Hamas its rockets.

Americas Venezuela The relations between Venezuela and Hamas have become closer under the presidencies of Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro.

United States

In early 2025, the US' Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs, Adam Boehler, talked directly with Hamas in an attempt to secure the release of American hostages. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that the talks were a "one-off situation in which our special envoy for hostages, whose job it is to get people released, had an opportunity to talk directly to someone who has control over these people and was given permission and encouraged to do so. He did so."

Asia China

After Hamas' victory in the 2006 Palestinian legislative elections, China called the group the elected representatives of the Palestinian people. The PRC invited the Hamas Foreign Minister Mahmoud al-Zahar to attend the China-Arab Cooperation Forum in June 2006 ignoring protests by both the United States and Israel but received praise from Mahmoud Abbas.

On 19 March 2024, Chinese Foreign Ministry ambassador Wang Kejian met with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Qatar, where they "exchanged views on the Gaza conflict and other issues". Following talks mediated by China, on 23 July 2024, Palestinian factions including Hamas and Fatah reached an agreement to end their divisions and form an interim unity government, which they announced in the Beijing Declaration.

Lebanon

Iran

Israel

Islamists appeared to be more interested in studying the Quran than fighting Israel when Israel first came into contact with them in Gaza in the 1970s and 1980s. Mujama al-Islamiya, a forerunner of Hamas, was recognized by the Israeli authorities and registered as a charity. Members of the Mujama were able to establish an Islamic university as well as mosques, clubs, and schools. Importantly, Israel frequently took a back seat to the Islamists' sometimes deadly power struggles with their secular, left-wing Palestinian counterparts in Gaza and the West Bank. David Hacham, an Israeli military Arab relations specialist who operated in Gaza in the late 1980s and early 1990s, says, "When I look back at the chain of events, I think we made a mistake." However, none at the time considered the outcomes that might occur." On the extent to which their own actions may have helped to Hamas's rise, Israeli officials who served in Gaza disagree. They attribute the recent growth of the group to outside forces, mainly Iran. The Israeli government holds the same opinion.

Malaysia

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

Syria The Syrian Arab Republic was a staunch supporter of Hamas until 2011 with the outbreak of the Syrian civil war. In January 2012, Hamas sided with the Syrian rebels against the government Bashar al-Assad.Mohammed Ayoob, Will the Middle East Implode?, John Wiley & Sons, 2014 p. 47. Since 2022, relations have been restored and the support was renewed. Since 2022, Hamas is again part of the regional Axis of Resistance. In December 2024, the Assad regime collapsed following an offensive by the Syrian opposition. In April 2025, it was reported that Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa freed Hamas and Islamic Jihad members who were detained under Assad.

Turkey

Europe Russia

Legal issues Terrorist designation EntityDesignated as terrorist org.Comments The government of President Javier Milei designated Hamas and its military wing as a terrorist organization in July 2024. Australia announced they would designate Hamas as a terrorist organization in its entirety in 2022. Prior to that, Hamas's military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, were recognized as one but the political branch were not. Brazil does not designate Hamas as a terrorist organization.Samuel Feldberg,'Israel and Brazil:An Emerging Power and its Quest for Influence in the Middle East,' in Colin Shindler (ed.), The World Powers:Diplomatic Alliances and International Relations Beyond the Middle East, I.B. Tauris, 2014 pp. 187–99 The Brazilian government only classifies organizations as terrorists when the United Nations does so. Under the Anti-Terrorism Act, the Government of Canada has listed Hamas as a terrorist entity, thus establishing it as a terrorist group, since 2002. As of 2006, China does not designate Hamas to be a terrorist organization and acknowledges Hamas to be the legitimately elected political entity in the Gaza Strip that represents the Palestinian people. In June 2006, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry stated: "We believe that the Palestinian government is legally elected by the people there and it should be respected." In March 2014, as part of a crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood organization following the July 2013 overthrow of Mohamed Morsi, Cairo's Urgent Matters Court outlawed Hamas's activities in Egypt, ordered the closure of its offices and to arrest any Hamas member found in the country. In February 2015, the aforementioned court designated Hamas as a terrorist organization, accusing Hamas of carrying terrorist attacks in Egypt through tunnels linking the Sinai Peninsula to the Gaza Strip.'Egyptian court declares Hamas a 'terrorist' group', Al Jazeera February 28, 2015.In June 2015, Egypt's appeals court overturned the prior ruling that listed Hamas as a terrorist organization, and Egypt (as of 2023) no longer officially regards Hamas to be a terrorist organization. The EU designated Hamas as a terrorist group from 2003. In December 2014, the General Court of the European Union ordered that Hamas be removed from the register. The court stated that the move was technical and was not a reassessment of Hamas's classification as a terrorist group. In March 2015, EU decided to keep Hamas on its terrorism blacklist "despite a controversial court decision", appealing the court's judgment.Sources EU keeps Hamas on terror list despite court ruling, March 27, 2015 Statement by High Representative/Vice-President Federica Mogherini on the decision to appeal the Judgment regarding Hamas, January 19, 2015Sources Hamas is added to EU's blacklist of terror, By Anton La Guardia, Diplomatic Editor, September 12, 2003, The Telegraph. "The European Union yesterday put Hamas on its blacklist of terrorist organisations." Council Common Position 2003/651/CFSP, September 12, 2003, lists "Hamas (including Hamas-Izz al-Din al-Qassem)" Council Common Position 2006/380/CFSP of 29 May 2006 updating Common Position 2001/931/CFSP on the application of specific measures to combat terrorism and repealing Common Position 2006/231/CFSP lists "Hamas (including Hamas-Izz al-Din al-Qassem)" EU Nations Agree to Freeze Hamas Assets, Fox News, September 6, 2003 EU/Middle East: Hamas Officially Included on Blacklist of Terrorist Organisations , Tuesday September 16, 2003, European Report BBC: EU blacklists Hamas political wing, BBC NewsSources BBC: Hamas was put on the EU terror list in 2003, BBC News Solana Denies Direct Contact With Hamas, The Moscow Times Mr. Solana goes to Damascus for some peace talks , New Europe Barak Ravid, "EU court orders Hamas removed from terror list", Haaretz, December 17, 2014. "Hamas removed from EU terrorist list on technicality", Reuters, December 17, 2014.