Nearly a month and a half after the start of the “Israeli” aggression on the Gaza Strip, the occupation is still unable to present an image of victory, even an alleged one, in the Strip. Despite the massacres and war crimes committed there, the latter were not able to force the residents of the Gaza Strip to emigrate; The displacement project has failed so far. The popular and military steadfastness of the resistance carries many meanings and places specific responsibilities on everyone.
Occupation plans
From the first moments of planning its aggression against the Gaza Strip, the occupation authorities announced very high goals regarding the Gaza Strip and the resistance there, especially the Hamas movement. The declared goal of the aggression was to completely eradicate Hamas and its military arm, the Al-Qassam Brigades, reoccupy the Gaza Strip, impose a new political reality after the war, and release all prisoners held by the resistance unconditionally.
In addition, and in harmony with it, statements were issued by the “Israeli” leaders regarding the necessity of emptying the Gaza Strip of its population and moving them to live in Sinai in Egypt, something that was clearly adopted by the American administration, and its Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, sought in his regional tours to convince the countries of the region of it, which is Which he did not succeed in at the time.
If the military objectives of the occupation have declined significantly over time under the pressure of the Palestinian resistance – then eradication turned into weakening Hamas’ capabilities and limiting its ability to threaten and launch operations in the future, and the release of prisoners turned into liberating the largest possible number of them, then into dealing with their file, then into approving. Frankly, there is a need to conclude an exchange deal – but the displacement plan, in return, is still in place and among the options, even if its circulation in the media has declined.
The American administration, in particular, retreated from this proposal due to the clear and decisive rejection of Egypt and the rest of the Arab countries with which Blinken met, according to the announcement, but also because of the steadfastness of the people in their places and the bravery of the resistance in a way that was not expected by the Americans, and statements were issued by the American President on the necessity of the residents of Gaza remaining. In the sector. However, it can be said that this option is still on the table for the occupation, and this is supported by the field position.
This is because the occupation focused on the northern Gaza Strip through siege, bombing, and destruction. With the aim of forcing people to move to the south, which was declared “safe,” it was announced more than once that the largest portion of the northern population would move to the south, in what seemed like the first phase of the plan. While he is saving a second stage for the south to force people to migrate outside the border towards Egypt from the Rafah crossing, which he plans to be the only outlet available to them to escape from the machine of bombing, siege and starvation.
Resilience
Despite all of the above – including killing every possibility of life in the northern Gaza Strip specifically, such as bombing hospitals, putting them out of service, bakeries, places of worship, roads, UN schools, shelters, etc., and not allowing any aid to enter there, including A clear message that the region is no longer and will never be fit for life – the result was not as the occupation had planned, and as could have been the logical expectation.
On the seventeenth of this November – that is, a full 40 days after the comprehensive aggression – the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics said: Only 400,000 people out of 1.2 million people who lived in the northern governorates before the aggression had been displaced to the other governorates in the center and south. To date, 807 thousand people still live in the Gaza and North Gaza governorates, which refutes the “Israeli” propaganda that the north has been emptied of the civilian population.
According to material and logical calculations, this steadfastness seems outside the framework of what is reasonable, and refers to a legendary and exceptional steadfastness without the slightest exaggeration. In a narrow geographical area, completely besieged – prevented from entering food, water, medicine, and other basic necessities of life for about a month and a half, and which is raining all kinds of death from rockets, shells, and lava – it is difficult to imagine clinging to the place, which means waiting for death by killing, bleeding, or starvation. It is obvious that this was not what the occupation expected, which flouted all international laws, including the customs of war, and committed an unlimited number of war crimes, which could amount to the crime of genocide, in order to achieve a quick and decisive military victory over the resistance, and demographically. By displacing people.
The fact that the residents of the Gaza Strip – especially the residents of its north – have thwarted the occupation’s plan so far does not negate the great human tragedy, and talk of steadfastness does not eliminate the exceptional suffering that the people there face without the slightest indication that relief is near and the siege on them is being lifted or the occupation is forced to fulfill its obligations as an occupying force at a minimum.
On the other hand, a month and a half passed without the occupation being able to present a single picture of “victory,” even if it was a claim, while it suffered very large losses – more than it had to announce – in soldiers, officers, equipment, and vehicles, and with clear media embarrassment due to the resistance documenting its operations and the credibility it gained in this area. In addition to its high morale, the statements it issues, and indicators of the soundness of its military structure and its ability to control and manage the battle, and perhaps the announcement of a prisoner exchange deal, what reinforces this assessment, as it carries an indication of the occupation’s submission in this aspect.
Meanings and responsibilities
At the forefront of the clear indications of this steadfastness is that the resistance has significantly prepared itself for a battle of this kind, with great patience militarily, logistically, and medially, and that the Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip are clinging to their land, confident in their resistance, benefiting from the lessons of the past, which has produced in them a determination not to repeat the catastrophe of the Nakba and displacement. Forced, despite the inhumane conditions they suffer and the war crimes they are exposed to.
But steadfastness, on the other hand, is not based only on prior preparation, nor on faith and determination alone. Rather, it has components that must be acquired and strengthened, otherwise they will be exhausted and/or destroyed over time. Therefore, it is important to point out that the statistics of the Palestinian Ministry of Health indicate that a child is killed every ten minutes on average. Because of the “Israeli” bombing, which means that the time meter in Gaza is not counted in hours and minutes, but in lives and blood.
Accordingly, this scene places the Arab and Islamic countries before their responsibilities as brotherly and friendly countries, as neighboring countries, and as parties concerned for Arab national security and stability in the region, as well as parties keen to ensure that the human tragedy does not continue. Otherwise, many will consider this a complicit position and not just a neglectful one towards the people of Gaza.
The first priority for all parties should be to bring aid to the people in the north and south of the Gaza Strip – without discrimination or surrender to the conditions of the occupation – with or without a ceasefire. This is the humanitarian duty on the one hand, and this is what can strengthen the people’s steadfastness on the other hand. Here, fifty-seven Arab and Muslim countries will face a major moral test after the joint Arab-Islamic summit took a decision to break the siege and bring in aid, a decision whose implementation is still awaited, as no timing or implementation mechanism has been determined.
The remaining parties, including political parties, currents, movements, elites, peoples and individuals, must not be content with mourning the human tragedy and being proud of the performance of the resistance, and thus remain in the spectator stands and applaud from afar in support or disapproval, but rather move quickly to an effective and pressing situation towards breaking the siege and opening the Rafah crossing for the entry of humanitarian aid. As a first step, it represents the minimum required.
Opening the Rafah crossing must become an action priority for all parties, to create a stressful situation on the concerned, responsible and relevant parties, such as: the occupation, the United States, the European Union, and the rest of the international institutions, as well as the Arab and Islamic countries, most notably Egypt, which fully owns the decision on the crossing.
Holding the occupation fully responsible and singling out pressure and demands on it is not valid in light of accepting the narrative that the crossing cannot be opened without its approval, and only what it approves can be passed in, and only those who do not object to it can be taken out. Whoever claims that this is the ceiling of his position and what he can do regarding the siege of Gaza and the suffering of its people – which is certainly not true – deserves pressure, just as the occupation does.
