The Oslo Accords witnessed a slow decline, with Israel continuing its occupation of Palestinian land and refusing to withdraw militarily from the majority of the West Bank while continuing to conduct raids into land considered under the full administration of the PA.

Many Palestinians felt disillusioned by the perceived failure of the Oslo Accords and other peace initiatives with Israel. Hamas's hardline stance against Israel, in contrast to Fatah's approach which was seen as yielding little progress, appeared more assertive and gained support.