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Operation Flood of Al-Aqsa (Arabic: Tufan Al-Aqsa, طوفان الأقصى) is a major, unprecedented incursion into occupied Palestine conducted by the Palestinian resistance operating out of Gaza, beginning 7 October 2023. As of 31 October, the occupier has murdered at least 14,000 Palestinians,[1] including 3,542 children, since the beginning of the rebellion.[2]
On 28 October, the united resistance groups released a statement from Beirut, Lebanon saying that, "This heroic epic is the battle of the entire Palestinian people, which they are waging in defense of their land, their sanctities, their existence, and their right to freedom, against a barbaric enemy that does not spare any of our people from its crimes. It targets hospitals, mosques, churches, universities, and ambulances, and cuts off electricity, water, fuel, the Internet, and cellular communications for our besieged people."[3]
Background
See main article: Palestinian genocide
After, Hamas won the 2006 election in Gaza, the USA and the Zionist Entity sanctioned Gaza and tried to overthrow Hamas in 2008.
In 2018, during the Great March of Return, Zionist snipers shot at unarmed Palestinian protestors, killing 223 and wounding several thousand.[2]
Timeline of events
Palestinian counteroffensive
On Saturday morning, 7 October 2023, the joint Palestinian resistance in Gaza (Hamas, PFLP, DFLP, Islamic Jihad) started firing rockets at the illegal settlements outside of Gaza. The Iron Dome, the Zionist Entity's anti-missile defense system, failed to intercept more rockets than usual. Rocket fire continued to support the operation the entire day, with the resistance reporting that they fired more than 5,000 rockets by noon alone.
At the same time, resistance units penetrated through the border fence surrounding the Gaza strip. Methods to get through the fence included the use of paragliders. In a video, a hole can be seen cut in the fence with motorcycle units being conveyed through.
Afterwards, the resistance units moved into several settlements surrounding the Gaza strip, including Asqalan (Ashkelon), Erez and Sderot. Up to 15 settlements have reportedly been taken over.
The units quickly moved to neutralize the IOF presence in these towns, including rapid incursions into barracks, where most occupation soldiers were taken out before they even realized what was happening.
Videos on social media show Palestinian fighters walking freely through the streets of liberated towns,[4] indicating they were successfully taken over and all occupation driven out in some way.
In response, the occupier has called on the reservists and declared a state of war, but did not name the recipient of that declaration.[5] The occupier also ordered air strikes over Gaza in retaliation, which is considered a war crime as it is collective punishment.[6] Under international law, the Zionist Entity is considered an occupier and may not attack into Gaza but only defend against operations.
Clashes continued between the resistance and the occupation army for the rest of the day and into the night, but the bulk of the operation (as extrapolated from videos released by the resistance) happened in the early morning.
On the morning of 8 October 2023, it was reported that Hezbollah in Lebanon had attacked military positions and settlements in the north of occupied Palestine, notably striking at a radar station in support of the Palestinian resistance. Clashes followed on both sides of the border during the day. In response, the occupier diverted troops to the border with Lebanon in preparation for an incursion from Hezbollah.
On the night of the same day, "Israel" requested US help as they were completely overwhelmed by the operation. In response, the United States diverted one of their aircraft carriers towards Palestine.[7]
By 9 October, it was reported by various sources that the resistance was able to move so far east that they were only 10 kilometers away from the West Bank. However, these reports are not yet entirely confirmed and it is important to note that in guerrilla operations such as this one, territory is often exchanged as the point is not to hold on to it but traverse it as needed.
It seems the taking of hostages and elimination of military assets were the main objective of the operation as by 10 October, resistance groups had gone back to Gaza, from where they endured the response of the Zionist entity for over a week.
Zionist attacks on Gaza
On 11 October, "Israel" cut off the water supply and electricity to Gaza. Following that announcement, they announced they would cut the Internet on 14 October, thereby preventing Palestinians from relaying stories and videos of the massacre they have been experiencing since 8 October to the world.
On 12 October, "Israel" dropped leaflets over Gaza to make Palestinians aware of a humanitarian corridor (a route that would supposedly not be targeted by bombs so that civilians can safely leave) to Egypt. Several hundred civilians took this road, only to be bombed by the occupier once they were all congregated in the same area. The following day, the occupier tried the same tactic again, giving the 1.1 million Palestinians living in the north of Gaza 24 hours to move south. This constitutes forcible population displacement, and is simply impossible logistically in such a small time frame.
Since 14 October, the Zionist entity has been going back and forth on a possible land invasion of Gaza, reminiscent of the ones that happened in 2005 and 2014. Hezbollah has announced they would invade "Israel" if an invasion happened, and Iran announced a "surprise" would await the Zionist entity if it tried to invade Gaza, but without giving more details.
On October 17th, "Israel" bombed the Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza, killing hundreds of people[8][9] (the hospital's cancer treatment center had also been bombed by "Israel” three days prior).[10] Quickly, media sources were forced to retract confirmation of “Israel’s” guilt due to their subsequent denial. The same day, the official Israeli Twitter account posted a video which allegedly confirmed their narrative, only to delete it shortly after,[11] since the timestamp of the video was a half hour before the hospital exploded.[12] "Israel" also claimed to have intercepted a Hamas audio recording where it was admitted that the PIJ was responsible, however, United Kingdom broadcaster Channel 4 News reported that sound analysis showed the two voices had been recorded independently and edited together.[13] On October 22nd, the analysis of a group called "GeoConfirmed," initially cited as proof "Israel's" innocence,[14] was retracted upon being disproven.[15] It is also worth noting that "Israel" has a history of falsely attributing their attacks to the "Islamic Jihad."[16]
On October 31st and November 1st, "Israel" conducted air raids across the Jabalia refugee camp, killing at least fifty people, but with no confirmed death count.[17]
Ceasefire
In late November, the resistance achieved a four-day ceasefire and freed 150 political prisoners from Zionist imprisonment.[1] The ceasefire was later extended to seven days.[18]
Results
This event is still ongoing.
"Israeli" public broadcaster Kan News said that the operation came as a complete surprise to the IOF.
Media initially reported that over 35 prisoners of war had been captured by the resistance, with videos shared on social media showing some of them being taken back to Gaza. The final number of prisoners was later brought up to over 150.
Prisoners were mainly IOF soldiers of varying grades and notably include Brigadier-General Nimrod Aloni, who was the architect of the bombing campaigns against Gaza.
At the same time, settlers were filmed scrambling to leave.[19][20] According to Mango Press, an estimated 1 million settlers are preparing to leave the country, with many still waiting at airports into the night of 7 October.[21]
Gaza resistance groups also indicated they had seized military equipment, including vehicles, from the barracks.
With IOF presence removed from the fence keeping Gaza locked in, Palestinians started destroying sections of it with bulldozers.[22]
The provisional death toll from the occupier's side, as reported by its own media, currently amounts to over 1000.[23]
The provisional death toll for Palestine currently amounts to at least 7,028 martyrs in Gaza, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.[24] Most of them were killed by indiscriminate bombing by the Zionist Entity which has been going on almost nonstop since 8 October as illegal retaliation and a form of collective punishment from "Israel" on the civilians of Gaza. The relentless bombing has also already made several victims in the occupier's own population detained as prisoners in Gaza.
Media response
Within hours from the beginning of the operation, the mainstream media in conjunction with the Zionist government launched a massive atrocity propaganda campaign to attribute a number of fabricated crimes to the Resistance fighters.[18]
A Grayzone investigation uncovered that the claim had originated from an IOF reserve soldier who was described as "a fanatical settler leader who incited riots by demanding a Palestinian town be 'wiped out.'"[25]
It should be noted that for the entirety of its history, the Palestinian resistance has never been proven to have committed sexual assault and carried out beheadings or even wanton executions against civilian populations or even IOF soldiers. One interview conducted by an "Israeli" news station with a woman who had an encounter with Hamas soldiers during the operation related that she and her family were not harmed in any way by Hamas in their two hours of contact before the fighters left.[26] In another interview conducted on 13 October, the interviewee revealed she had been released from Gaza alongside her neighbor's children and that a separate group of resistance fighters who saw them as they walked back home made no attempts to restrict their movement or harass them. She also stated that when was initially taken, she was given time to put on clothes as a sign of respect.[27] She was just one of several groups of women and children released by the Resistance fighters. Hamas also released a compilation of videos showing their fighters treating "Israeli" children kindly during the operation, with one child even smiling while talking to the fighter.[27] On 15 October, yet another interview of an "Israeli", Yasmin Porat by Haboker Hazeh (“This Morning”), provided another example of the Resistance fighters' humane treatment of the captives. Telling the Zionist radio station, that “They did not abuse us. They treated us very humanely,”. She instead blamed the IOF's callous conduct for the deaths of her fellow captives, having arrived with a hail of gunfire and mortal shells, and even firing 2 tank shells into the house where the captives had been held.[28]
On 13 October, Reuters announced that one of their own journalist, Issam Abdallah, had been killed in Lebanon but cynically did not dare name "Israel" as his killer.[29] On the same date, the Huffpost revealed that the US State Department had sent internal messages discouraging its diplomats from utilizing language urging cessation of hostilities. High level officials did not want such phrases as “de-escalation/ceasefire,” “end to violence/bloodshed” and “restoring calm," to be used, showing that the country had little desire to restrain the Zionist Entity and instead providing the space and time for it's crimes.[30]
In one instance Isaac Herzog, President of the Zionist Entity, deemed all citizens of Gaza to be collectively responsible for the attacks the Palestinian Resistance carried out against the Occupation.[31] Danny Ayalon, former deputy foreign minister and current foreign policy adviser for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, echoed proposed to ethnically cleanse Gaza by deporting all its residents to the Sinai desert.[32] Similarly, the Financial Times reported that EU diplomats, much like the Statesians, also realize the impending ethnic cleansing about to take place in Occupied Palestine at the hands of the Zionist Entity, and are worried that presence of high level Statesian and EU officials, such as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen showing support for "Israel" will destroy the credibility of the Imperial Cores in Global South countries. [32]
On 14 October, CGTN correspondent in central Gaza Noor Harazeen reported the IOF bombardment of central and southern Gaza resulting in numerous civilian casualties, despite the IOF falsely claiming to limit their military action to the north.[33] In a similar vein, the BBC also reported after multiple videos emerged that convoys of civilians fleeing northern Gaza en route to the south were assaulted by the IOF despite assurances made of safe passage. In one instance, at least 12 people were shown deceased, mostly women and children, "some of whom appear to be as young as two to five years old."[34] The Associated Press also confirmed that strikes on the humanitarian corridor had happened.[35]
Atrocity propaganda
Zionist media alleged that Hamas, the foremost member group of the Resistance, fired unprovoked into a crowd of civilians holding a rave party a mere two miles away (3.2km) from Gaza. However, recordings have emerged showing that the Zionist Entity's police force and other armed personal were shooting at Hamas from within the crowd and the presence of what looks to be a Merkava tank.[36]
Beheading
An even more grievous example of the atrocity propaganda on display was the claim that Hamas had indiscriminately and bloodily murdered anyone in their path, with some outlets such as The West Australian or i24 News, who broke the "story", going as far as to claim that IOF soldiers had seen "beheaded mothers and babies [by Hamas]"[37][38]—only to be contradicted by an official statement from the IOF itself.[39] US President Biden amplified the claim in a press statement made at the White House, claiming that he had seen "confirmed pictures of terrorists beheading children", even after the IOF had denied the claims.[40] Shortly after Biden's statement, a White House spokesperson retracted Biden's statement, revealing that nobody had actually seen such pictures or confirmed the reports.[40]
Other Western media outlets, including CNN, Fox News, and The New York Post, repeated i24 News's claim that Hamas beheaded 40 babies. The only source for the claim was David Ben Zion, who incited race riots against Palestinians and called them "animals."[41]
Rape
At the same time, imperialist propagandists blamed Palestinians for the attack, furthermore alleging that Hamas had engaged in mass rape[42] before the lack of evidence forced some media outlets into retracting parts of their claim.[43] A specific claim of rape and murder concerned a German-"Israeli" national by the name of Shani Louk, who was present at the rave and was allegedly seen in a video being transported in the back of a pickup truck. It was later revealed by her own mother that she was still alive and being treated at a hospital in Gaza.[44]
The main source for these allegations the Israeli Minister of Women's Empowerment, May Golan, who is openly "proud to be a racist" and led anti-Black race riots in Tel Aviv.[18]
Further reading
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "A Pause Is Just That: A Pause — We Demand a Permanent Ceasefire!" (2023-11-23). Liberation News. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Joyce Chediac (2023-10-31). "Refuting Israel’s lies about its invasion of Gaza" Liberation News. Archived from the original on 2023-10-31.
- ↑ Resistance News Network (2023-10-28). "Statement issued by the Palestinian forces" Telegram. Archived from the original on 2023-11-01.
- ↑ @Marxozoic (2023-10-07). "This is unprecedented in Palestinian history. Palestinian Resistance fighters stroll through the Israeli settlement of Sderot." Twitter.
- ↑ News Desk (2023-10-07). "We are at war: Netanyahu" The Cradle. Archived from the original.
- ↑ "Collective punishments". International Committee of the Red Cross.
- ↑ Tara Copp (2023-10-08). "The U.S. Will Send a Carrier Strike Group in Support of Israel" Time.
- ↑ Nidal Al-Mughrabi (2023-10-17). "In deadly day for Gaza, hospital strike kills hundreds" Reuters.
- ↑ "Video investigation: What hit al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza?" (2023-10-19). Al Jazeera.
- ↑ "Anglican-run al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza damaged by Israeli rocket fire as war continues" (2023-10-16). Anglican Communion News Service.
- ↑ Amanda Yee (2023-10-20). "Debunking Israel’s lies about the bombing of Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza" Liberation News.
- ↑ Ali Abunimah (2023-10-17). "Israel’s spin about hospital massacre quickly comes apart" Electronic Intifada. Archived from the original.
- ↑ https://twitter.com/channel4news/status/1715437877604049094?s=46&t=nmyaANcQLrkBcVGMFvkgbA
- ↑ Jesse O’Neill (2023-10-18). "Here’s all of the evidence that shows Hamas was responsible for hospital explosion" New York Post. Archived from the original.
- ↑ https://twitter.com/GeoConfirmed/status/1716123222142550167
- ↑ Yumna Patel (2022-08-17). "After initially blaming Palestinians, Israel admits to airstrike that killed 5 children in Gaza" Mondoweiss.
- ↑ "Israel bombards Jabalia refugee camp for second straight day" (2023-11-01). Al Jazeera.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Robert Inlakesh (2023-12-11). "Did Hamas Carry Out Mass Rapes on October 7?" MintPress News. Archived from the original on 2023-12-15.
- ↑ @Mango_Press_ (2023-10-07). "Settlers run! #Palestine" Twitter.
- ↑ @ME_Observer_ (2023-10-07). "Foreign squatters flee to the airport" Twitter.
- ↑ "Telegram post" (2023-10-07). Mango Press.
- ↑ @prolewiki (2023-10-07). "Gaza is taking down the fence." Twitter.
- ↑ “Translated from French: "... 1008 settlers and occupation soldiers eliminated ..."”
"Telegram post" (2023-10-09). Gaza News+. - ↑ "Israel-Palestine: Names released of 7,028 Palestinians killed after Biden questions death toll" (2023-10-26). Middle East Eye. Archived from the original. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
- ↑ Max Blumenthal and Alexander Rubinstein (2023-10-11). "Source of dubious ‘beheaded babies’ claim is Israeli settler leader who incited riots to ‘wipe out’ Palestinian village" The Grayzone.
- ↑ @prolewiki (10-10-23). "Interview"
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 Richard Medhurst (10-15-23). "Debunking Israel’s Myth About Hamas and the 40 Babies". YouTube.
- ↑ “fierce gun battle that consisted of “tens and hundreds and thousands of bullets and mortars flying in the air,”
Golan presses: “So our forces may have shot them?”
“Undoubtedly,” the former captive responds, and adds, “They eliminated everyone, including the hostages because there was very, very heavy crossfire.”
“After insane crossfire, two tank shells were shot into the house. It’s a small kibbutz house, nothing big,” Porat explains.”
Ali Abunimah and David Sheen (10-16-23). "Israeli forces shot their own civilians, kibbutz survivor says" The Electronic Intifada. Archived from the original on 10-16-23. Retrieved 10-16-23. - ↑ Reuters (2023-10-14). "Reuters journalist killed in Lebanon in missile fire from direction of Israel" Reuters.
- ↑ Akbar Shahid Ahmed (10-13-23). "Stunning State Department Memo Warns Diplomats: No Gaza 'De-Escalation' Talk" Huffpost. Archived from the original on 10-15-23.
- ↑ ““It is an entire nation out there that is responsible,” Herzog said at a press conference on Friday. “It is not true this rhetoric about civilians not being aware, not involved. It’s absolutely not true. They could have risen up. They could have fought against that evil regime which took over Gaza in a coup d’etat.””
Paul Blumenthal (10-13-23). "Israeli President Suggests That Civilians In Gaza Are Legitimate Targets" Huffpost. Archived from the original on 10-15-23. Retrieved 10-16-23. - ↑ 32.0 32.1 “There is a huge expense, almost endless space in the Sinai desert, just on the other side of Gaza.
An unnamed EU diplomat told the Times, “We may be about to see massive ethnic cleansing” – a clear indication that Western capitals know exactly what Israel is doing.
“Our fear is that we’ll pay a heavy price in the global south because of this conflict”, an anonymous EU official confessed to the newspaper.”
Ben Norton (10-15-23). "US opposes peace as Israel ethnically cleanses Palestinians, waging war on ‘entire nation’ of Gaza" Geopolitical Economy Report. Archived from the original on 10-15-23. - ↑ Reporter Noor Harazeen (10-14-23). "CGTN correspondent breaks down in tears while reporting in Gaza" CGTN. Archived from the original on 10-15-23. Retrieved 10-15-23.
- ↑ Paul Brown & Jemimah Herd (10-14-23). "Strike on civilian convoy fleeing Gaza: What we know from verified video" BBC. Archived from the original on 10-14-23. Retrieved 10-15-23.
- ↑ “Two witnesses reported a strike on fleeing cars near the town of Deir el-Balah, south of the evacuation zone and in the area Israel told people to flee to. Fayza Hamoudi said she and her family were driving from their home in the north when the strike hit some distance ahead on the road and two vehicles burst into flames. A witness from another car on the road gave a similar account.”
ISABEL DEBRE, EDITH M. LEDERER and WAFAA SHURAFA (10-13-23). "Palestinians flee northern Gaza after Israel orders 1 million to evacuate as ground attack looms" AP. Archived from the original on 10-13-23. - ↑ @AnkushP61449364 (2023-10-10). "Hamas attached (sic) on concert Real footage" Twitter.
- ↑ Nicole Zedek (2023-10-10). "'It smells of death here': Surveying the atrocities committed by Hamas in Kfar Aza" i24 news. Archived from the original.
- ↑ “The sight of the beheaded mothers and babies so affected Israeli soldiers that they could be seen crying.”
Troy de Ruyter (10-10-23). "Israel war live coverage: Mums, babies beheaded; first Aussie victim Galit Carbone confirmed; Gaza under fire" The West Australian. Archived from the original. - ↑ “When Anadolu contacted the Israeli army spokesperson unit over the phone and asked about the allegations, she said "We have seen the news, but we do not have any details or confirmation about that."”
Turgut Alp Boyraz (10-10-23). "Israeli army says it does not have 'confirmation' about allegations that ‘Hamas beheaded babies’" Anadolu Ajansi. Archived from the original on 10-11-23. - ↑ 40.0 40.1 ““I’ve been doing this a long time,” Biden said at the White House. “I never really thought that I would see, have confirmed pictures of terrorists beheading children.” A White House spokesperson later clarified that U.S. officials and the president have not seen pictures or confirmed such reports independently.”
Mikhail Klimentov, Maegan Vazquez and Toluse Olorunnipa (2023-10-11). "Netanyahu says ‘every Hamas member is a dead man’ in televised speech" Washington Post. - ↑ Alan MacLeod (2023-10-13). "Propaganda Blitz: How mainstream media is pushing fake Palestine stories" MintPress News. Archived from the original on 2023-10-23.
- ↑ “If Gaza is a prison, it’s in part because it is run by a prison gang in the form of Hamas, which brutalizes and exploits Palestinian inmates. Also, if the moment inmates escape from a prison they go on a murder, kidnapping and rape spree, many reasonable people might assume the prison exists for good reason. But again, however brutal you might think Israel’s Gaza policy might be, the murderers still chose to murder, the rapists chose to rape. If you deny them that agency, you’re the one calling them unthinking animals.”
Jonah Goldberg. "Column: Who’s to blame for the Hamas attack on Israel? That debate is already going off the rails" Los Angeles Times. - ↑ “For the record:
6:12 p.m. Oct. 9, 2023
An earlier version of this column mentioned rape in the attacks, but such reports have not been substantiated.”
Jonah Goldberg (10-9-2023). "Column: Who’s to blame for the Hamas attack on Israel? That debate is already going off the rails" Los Angeles Times. - ↑ Giulia Carbonaro (10-10-23). "Shani Louk Is Still Alive, Mother Reveals" Newsweek.