The Palestinian guerrilla group and political organization, Hamas, launched potentially the most signficant act of resistance in the history of the Palestinian struggle, humiliating the state and distributing just retribution to the settler apartheid society.
There should be nothing surprising or shocking about the action itself, other than the proficiency, surprise and deceptiveness of the guerrilla. The levels of indignity, suffering, and barbarism from the colonial state is arguably unparalleled on the planet today.
This year has been the most deadly for the Palestinian people since 2006. Ongoing clashes with the Lion’s Den, PFLP, and other factions have been destructive but has also strengthened the confidence of the resistance. It should also not be surprising that this response came from Gaza, which Palestinian scholar Edward Said once called, “the essential core” of the resistance.
Gaza has been under debilitating siege for 16 years, which has taken a heavy toll on its people but has failed to destroy their will to resist. The blockade was imposed after Hamas won the Palestinian Legislative Council elections in 2006, but its Palestinian rival, Fatah, along with Israel and its backers conspired to prevent it from taking power.
After several months of fighting, Hamas was able to take full control of Gaza in June 2007, for which Israel and its partners decided to collectively punish the Palestinians living there.
For more than 16 years, the residents of Gaza have had no freedom of movement. They can leave through the Israeli-controlled checkpoints if they have an Israeli work permit or in rare cases if they have been given special permissions by Israel to receive medical treatment in the occupied West Bank for life-threatening conditions. To leave for any other part of the world, they must have a valid visa, which is difficult to obtain by stateless people, and then navigate the Egyptian authorities’ arbitrary decisions to close the Rafah border crossing and deny entry to Palestinians.
The blockade has brought the economy of Gaza nearly to a standstill. Today close to half the population is unemployed. Among the young, the unemployment rate is more than 60 percent. The food supply is also limited by the siege. From 2007 to 2010, Israeli authorities kept a calorie count of Palestinians’ nutritional needs to narrowly avoid malnutrition while restricting access to food for the people in Gaza.
Just a few days ago Netenyahu was proudly proclaiming that a new Middle East was on the horizon. With his reproachment to Saudi, he felt he had the world in the palm of his hands, proudly proclaiming the future, without even mentioning the word Palestinian in his declaration.
But now we have seen the most ambitious well executed attack in years. Estimates state that approximately 1000 fighters crossed into occupied territory and successfully attacked settlers, military installations and combatants. Dozens of hostages have been taken, including top commanders and the battles are still ongoing. The resistance attacked from the land, sea, and air with makeshift paragliders.
At this time there are approximately 700 Israeli casualties and thousand wounded. This may be the first time that the casualty count was symmetrical.
The barbaric Israeli state has already begun indiscriminate attacks in Gaza, killing hundreds. The Americans are moving war ships to the region. It should be noted that America and Europe remain complicit in this entire conflict. Israel being an appendage of US imperial, unipolar dominance could only act this belligerently with its diplomatic, economic, and military patron promoting this. As the US empire collapses these colonial outposts, hopefully, will be besieged like this daily.
The US and Israeli military showmanship will be to no avail. The Israeli regime is humiliated, its plans destroyed, and its future is in jeopardy. Hezbollah guerrilas began shelling and have threatened a larger campaign may be near. They are the last contingent to defeat the Zionist regime, and the colonized are standing up in defiance against the settler, imperialist fascists.
While mourning for fallen Palestnians is of paramount concern today, revolutionary celebrations and actions should commence to destroy the settler colonial state permanently.