Sinwar's early careers match Hanija's résumé. They were both born around the same time (1962) in exile camps in the Gaza Strip, where their families were found after escaping in 1948 from Askelon-occupied Jews. The 2 then studied Arabic literature at the muslim University of Gaza, where they associated with the Muslim Brotherhood movement, led by Sheikh Ahmed Jasin, who founded Mujam al-Islamija in 1973. Israel, who had occupied the Gaza Strip since 1967, initially looked favourably at the improvement of Islamism among Palestinians, as Islamist doctrine was contrary to nationalist ideology and initially seemed to be counterbalanced by the efforts to make a Palestinian state. But after the First Intifada Mujama al-Islamija adopted a more military format transforming into Hamas.