Hamas Contained offers the first comprehensive history of Hamas based on extensive primary sources in Arabic, examining the movement on its own terms rather than through external frameworks. Tareq Baconi, former analyst at the International Crisis Group, traces Hamas's evolution from its 1987 founding as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood through its transition toward governance in Gaza. The book challenges both the terrorist label applied by Israel and Western governments and the democratic legitimacy claimed by Hamas supporters, showing a more complex reality. Baconi examines how Israeli and Egyptian policies of containment shaped Hamas's development, creating conditions that reinforced militant factions while undermining pragmatic elements willing to engage with political processes. He analyzes Hamas's internal debates between armed resistance and political participation, its relationship with other Palestinian factions, and its governance of Gaza under blockade. The book provides crucial context for understanding the organization's decisions and constraints, neither excusing violence nor ignoring the conditions that produce it. For readers seeking to understand one of the Middle East's most consequential and controversial movements, Baconi provides essential scholarly analysis.