OCTOBER 7, 2025
By Jonathan Kuttab
Next Tuesday is the two year anniversary of October 7. For many people,
that day is a pivotal day in the history of Palestine/Israel, to the
point that it is often necessary to remind people that the crisis in the
Holy Land did not start on October 7, 2023. Also, so much false
information has been circulated as to what actually happened, that, even
though much of it has been categorically debunked (“40 beheaded
babies,” “babies burnt alive in front of their parents,” “mass
rapes,” etc…) , such myths continue to be used as justification for
the ongoing genocide and as an excuse to refrain from genuine
peacemaking.
One year ago, on the first anniversary of October 7, I wrote three
articles, titled October 6 [3], October 7 [4], and October 8 [5], which
I urge all readers to read again and disseminate. The first discussed
the situation on October 6, reminding readers of the context for October
7, showing that it was not an “unprovoked assault but one episode in a
long and protracted struggle between Palestinians and Israelis. Gaza was
already under siege and facing a blockade and siege that was suffocating
the people and making Gaza uninhabitable. The second article discussed
what actually happened on that fateful day, noting that many of the
activities of Hamas were aimed at military targets and included
breaching the wall surrounding Gaza in 30 places simultaneously and
overrunning two army bases. These included the Gaza Battalion
Headquarters, killing over 340 soldiers and capturing over 50 others to
be exchanged for the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli
jails. Hamas also carried the battle into Israeli towns and kibbutzim,
and this included the attacks on innocent civilians, a music festival
and other civilian structures, as well as taking civilians as
hostages—all of which are actions prohibited under international law
and which were condemned universally. It must be noted that many of the
civilians killed that day were actually killed by Israeli forces in the
panic and confusion of those early hours, as well as victims of the
Hannibal Directive whereby the Israeli army preferred to kill its own
citizens and soldiers rather than risk their being captured. I say this
not to minimize the trauma and suffering of Israelis, both soldiers and
civilians, but to set the record straight since the events of October 7,
including the taking hostage and killing of Israelis, have been used as
a justification for the much greater and ongoing killing and suffering
inflicted upon Palestinian civilians, from October 8 until the present
day.
The position of FOSNA since that day has been clear and consistent:
Civilian hostages were to be released immediately and without
conditions; Food and medicine should be allowed freely into Gaza,
immediately and without conditions; and civilians and noncombatants
should not be targeted but protected by either party. Violence is not
the answer. A ceasefire should be implemented so that peaceful
negotiations could be carried out and a prisoner exchange for the
combatants be achieved.
Since that day, however, the events of October 7 have been a prelude to
a vicious and ongoing campaign of genocide, starvation and ethnic
cleansing aiming not only to avenge Israel’s losses on that day and
degrading Hamas’ military capabilities and ability to mount such an
attack again, but rather to utterly destroy Gaza and to expel, if
possible, its population to Egypt. There was also talk of pressuring
Jordan, so that Israel can expel a million Palestinians from the West
Bank to Jordan. Secretary of State Blinken actually tried to pressure
both Egypt and Jordan inthat direction. The issue is no longer what
happened or did not happen on October 7, or what the future is of Hamas
or even of Gaza. Israel has chosen the opportunity of October 7, along
with a weak Arab response and pliant US presidents, to break all the
rules, exercise its massive military, technological, and political power
to enact a Final Solution to the problem of Palestine. As Israel
recognized that it can get away with genocide and that the US and the
world community will not put a stop to it, right wing elements felt this
was a divine opportunity to finish the Palestinian question once and for
all. There is no more talk of a Palestinian state, no horizon for self
determination and no dignified coexistence. The 20 point plan that Trump
and Netanyahu have proposed calls for indefinite Israeli hegemony over
Gaza, with Arab and Muslim support or acquiescence. Palestinians are
offered a choice of subjugation, death or exile. Netanyahu’s ministers
have actually said as much.
In the face of such arrogance, the global grassroots response has been
invigorating. It rejects Netanyahu’s vision and calls for proper
implementation of international law principles. The Sumud Flotilla [6]
is being followed by additional mass protests throughout Europe, and
promises of more ships to try and break the siege. International and
national tribunals are gearing up to bring some hope of accountability,
and the BDS movement (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) is beginning
to gather steam. Against all odds, the Palestinian people continue to
exist and to resist.
We do not know what the future will hold. Hamas may agree to some
version of the plan if only to stem the flow of blood and destruction,
at least temporarily, and to bring much needed food and relief to the
exhausted masses. Yet we know this is not the end. The struggle will
continue as long as oppression and injustice remains. But, in the end,
justice will prevail. May this day come quickly and with less and less
suffering and destruction before it arrives.
[7] Donate: Help FOSNA work towards justice and carry hope for a
better tomorrow [7]
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