The war on Gaza has ended...for now. Both Israel and the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, have acquiesced to the terms put forward by US President Donald Trump. The cessation of hostilities is, in itself, a cause for relief—despite the staggering losses suffered by the Palestinian people in Gaza.
We have seen the devastation wrought upon the Strip and heard the voices of its residents once the guns fell silent. This was the costliest war Palestinians have endured in decades. While holding Israel accountable for its atrocities is a moral and humanitarian imperative, Hamas must also be held to account for its missteps.
It knew when the guns fell silent that the day of reckoning would come, so it was already prepared. As soon as the ceasefire came into effect, it launched a campaign of denunciation and intimidation against anyone who dared to challenge its narrative. The same is true for Iran and its 'axis of resistance', which sustained crippling setbacks in the region.
Gaslighting campaign
This is a calculated campaign aimed at gaslighting the lived experience of the region over the past two years, as if campaigns of distortion and vilification could somehow paper over the sheer scale of loss and suffering that civilians—especially the Palestinians in Gaza—endured.
Arab states that opposed the displacement of Palestinians were maligned. Those who called for a ceasefire from the outset were accused of capitulating to Israel. Journalists—particularly women—were threatened by media figures aligned with the 'axis', all in an effort to construct a false narrative of heroic resistance and eternal victimhood.
