Driving through Gaza for the first time since the war started, nothing was recognizable anymore. But Gaza was still there, making me realize that it was stronger than the war. It will still be there once the darkness passes.
The voices of Palestinians who protested against Hamas in Gaza are not only a reminder of the unbearable suffering that has been inflicted upon them, but also of the fact that those subjected to that suffering are an entire people, and not Hamas.
It appeared that Arab states would present a united front to avoid widespread ethnic cleansing in Gaza, but the United Arab Emirates is undercutting those efforts with the Trump administration in order to cement its future influence in Palestine.
The protests in Gaza calling for Hamas to step down are fueled by a desire for certainty — that if Hamas simply surrenders, Israel’s genocide will stop. The tragedy is that these cries will go unheard, or even worse, will further fuel the war machine.
Israel announced that it would set up a bureau for the “voluntary emigration” of Palestinians out of Gaza. This isn’t the first time Israel has done it, and it won’t work this time either.
An Israeli conference on antisemitism has come under fire due to the participation of far-right European politicians, many with a history of anti-Jewish racism. While this invite list is offensive, it should not be a surprise given Zionist history.
Hossam Shabat and Mohammad Mansour were the latest Palestinian journalists to be assassinated in Gaza. Responsibility for their killings rests in part on their Western colleagues who have failed to accurately cover Israel’s genocidal assault.
Israel has begun the final stage of its genocide. Palestinians are being forced to choose between death or deportation. What we are witnessing dwarfs all the historical assaults on Palestinians.
Donald Trump has ushered in his second term with a full-fledged assault on DEI programs and advocates for Palestinian rights. Both attacks should be understood within the long history of White backlash to movements for social and racial justice.
Before the war resumed, I was able to visit my old neighborhood in Gaza City. Nothing of it was left.