Hunger, displacement, and the equation of despair and optimism

The debate in Gaza is about when the forced displacement from Gaza and the north to the south will come, and people are still living in a state of shock, deep sadness, fear, and uncertainty. It is no secret that the prevailing feeling is not only in the Gaza Strip. It is also among politicians, Palestinians and others, in most countries, especially Arab ones, and it is a feeling of despair. So what about the people in Gaza who are suffering from depression, frustration, loneliness, and the world's indifference to their deaths and the destruction of what remains of their property and lives?

Despite this prevailing sentiment, Hamas' leadership has yet to comprehend the nature and objectives of the occupying state, both declared and undeclared—objectives it has been attempting to implement over time and through its long-term occupation of Palestine. It should have changed its vision, narrative, and plans, and it is still capable of doing so. This also applies to world leaders and Arabs, who will bear the stigma of shame etched on their foreheads, a stigma that will accompany them for all eternity, as well as the continued bombing, starvation, and expulsion of people unable to protect themselves.

Israel has unleashed its satanic inner demons and a vengeful, biblical religious discourse based on killing, destruction and devastation under the pretext of self-defense. It has gone too far in its brutality with arrests, kidnappings, torture, bloody killings during interrogations and rape in prisons against the people who were victims. It has held us accountable historically and retroactively, and has restored what it was unable to implement of its plans and what it did not achieve during the past 77 years, and the crimes of expulsion, erasure and ethnic cleansing by forcing people to emigrate. This is not only linked to the prevailing act of revenge, as a number of Israeli researchers and analysts claim, but it is also linked to the shock of October 7.

The ongoing policy of starvation to death, the killing of women, children, and the elderly, the destruction of hospitals, and the denial of healthcare and treatment, all according to pre-planned plans developed by military and civilian experts under a state of Zionist national consensus.

It is said that the world is frustrated and unable to impose a ceasefire, as has happened in other parts of the world, or even to lift the blockade and allow humanitarian aid into the territory. It is also incapable of forcing the occupying state to back down from its plans to implement the so-called Israeli-American mechanism to distribute food through non-humanitarian centers, stripping the population of its humanity, despite its dire needs. This is achieved by imposing strict quotas on the goods distributed, along with unnecessary delays.

Impotence also appears to be a hallmark of the United Nations, which has failed to convince the world and has surrendered, fearing it will become part of the Israeli-American mechanism for distributing food, forcing the occupying state to move people south to receive food. Its clear goal is to replace the UN system with security companies, aiming to force displacement from Gaza City and the northern Gaza Strip to the south through crossings and security checkpoints.

On Friday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres' speech was depressing, repeatedly stating that Palestinians in Gaza are suffering what may be the most brutal period yet as Israel intensifies its devastating war. He stated that for 80 days, Israel has blocked the entry of life-saving international aid, and that all residents of Gaza are facing the threat of starvation. He also stated that of the approximately 400 trucks allowed into Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing, only 115 have collected supplies.

What's happening in the Gaza Strip, the state of tension, fear, and despair, and the creation of an equation of hope and optimism, and what remains of the people. Time has not run out to confront the occupation's plans to create chaos and facilitate the work of bandits. The theft of trucks carrying flour, food, and nutritional supplements for children and families, works to strengthen the resilience of the people, who are suffering from the cruelty of hunger, even though those stolen trucks are supposed to reach bakeries in the Gaza and North governorates.

In light of this, what remains can be saved, and the Palestinian people, and all their political and social groups, including families and clans, are able to confront this phenomenon that is contrary to the customs and traditions of our people. While the rhetoric of the United Nations and its frustrated, helpless, and surrendered Secretary-General has declined, the work of international agencies at the United Nations must be regulated according to humanitarian standards, and the work of international agencies within the United Nations must be regulated according to humanitarian standards. They must not submit to Israeli conditions and plans, and must work within the Israeli-American mechanism. Real and effective pressure must be applied on the international community and the occupation to open the crossings for the entry of aid and ensure its fair delivery to the people.