War war and more war

 Part II

Prior to October 2023 there were many military  Israeli operations carried out against the civilian population of Gaza:

The Israeli Military Operations in the Gaza Strip

Operation Cast Lead (2008-2009)

Over the course of three weeks, Israeli forces dropped around 1 million kilograms of explosives on the strip, causing the destruction of nearly 4,100 houses and damaging 17,500 others. Nearly 1,500 (1,436) Palestinians were killed and about 5,400 others were injured, including many children and women.

Operation Pillar of Defense (2012)

Israeli warplanes killed 162 Palestinians, wounded nearly 1,300, and destroyed 200 houses. Another 1,500 homes were damaged.

Operation Protective Edge (2014)

The longest and most deadly Israeli attack on Gaza started on July 8, 2014, and lasted 51 days—ending on August 26, 2014. 60,664 Israeli land, sea and air raids, which killed 2,147 Palestinians (in many cases, involving one family) and wounded 10,870 others. A recorded 17,123 homes were hit, of which 2,465 were destroyed.

Operation Guardian of the Walls (2021)

The attack started on 10 May 2021 and lasted for 11 days, ending on 21 May 2021. The Israeli army focused its air and artillery attacks on the infrastructure of the Gaza Strip, especially streets, water wells, and public facilities, as well as the Strip’s economic and productive capacities. As a result, these sectors sustained heavy losses. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, the attack resulted in the deaths of 254 Palestinians, including 66 children, 39 women, and 17 elderly people. Additionally, about 1,948 others were injured.

These are but a few pointers of why the narrative began way before 7th of October 2023.Israeli military operations plus a stifling siege in Gaza rendered Palestinians hopeless, beyond miserable with absolutely no future for them or their children to look forward to. Deprive any human no matter what nationality or religion that person is of the basic necessities of life and you are coercing that person into extreme acts of self protection and so began October 7th 2023. Hamas called the operation they carried out “operation Al Aqsa Flood” maybe due to the continuous defamation of it by Israeli settlers and ministers. In this operation 1139 Israelis were killed and 240 were taken hostages. The attack took less than three hours yet Israel claimed that Hamas carried out torture and rape against the Israeli civilians. The Israeli government and Netanyahu alleged that the Palestinian resistance committed horrendous and barbaric acts. It had Biden parroting the same story only to be later refuted by the White House. Gut wrenching narratives were prepared by the Israeli government to give legitimacy for the slaughter of Gaza.

They are either complete fabrications or have not been substantiated with a shred of evidence. Many have been thoroughly disproven by major Israeli media outlets. Just as the Bush administration used and abused the events of September 11 to justify a sweeping war that almost completely destroyed Iraq –only for later to be proven completely off target and wrong about Iraq being responsible for these attacks so is Netanyahu using October 7 to wage the crusade he’s been preparing for his entire political career one that in his opinion might save him from losing the elections.

Israel is now a pariah state. It has lost its favourable position on the world stage. The fig leaf has finally fallen.

Reem Haddad

Editor-in-Chief