Hamas-Israel War and the Genocide in the Gaza Strip

The historical background of the conflict in the Palestinian territories is very long, and at its center is the famous historical and religiously important city of Jerusalem. That conflict began as a Crusade in 1095 and continued for about 150 years up until 1249. During that time, Christians from Europe (especially Western Europe) repeatedly attacked and occupied Jerusalem. The main reason for that conflict was the occupation of the city of Jerusalem, which is considered a holy place by the three different offshoots of the Abrahamic religions: Christianity,Islam, and Judaism. Among these three religions,Christianity and Judaism have a close relationship, as their Old Testament is almost identical. Therefore, the Crusades were essentially a war between two sides, Christianity and Islam. Currently, the eastern part of Jerusalem is predominantly Muslim or Palestinian, and the western part is principally Israeli and Jewish, and both sides claim it as their capital. US President Donald Trump controversially declared Jerusalem the capital of Israel during his previous term, and a large majority of the UN member states voted against it (128 to 9).

The Nazi regime, led by German dictator Adolf Hitler (1889-1945), had already begun a campaign to expel Jews as anti-social elements since 1933, before the start of World War II. However, the mass deportation of Jews and the massacre (Holocaust) reached their peak during the years 1941-1945, a few years after the start of World War II. Britain,on the other hand,had begun preliminary work since 1917 by promising to facilitate the establishment of a “national home” for Jews within the borders of Palestine. As the process of establishing a separate state for Jews progressed, Israel (formally known as the State of Israel) was finally established on May 14, 1948. And a year after the establishment of the State of Israel, it was recognized as a member of the United Nations on May 11,1949. After the establishment of Israel,Jews living in the diaspora in various countries around the world came to Israel and settled there. The father of the current Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, came to Israel from Poland.

Israel has received extensive military and diplomatic support from the United States.Similarly,the United States has repeatedly vetoed resolutions presented at the United Nations regarding the Hamas-Israel ceasefire. The United States has provided Israel with extensive military, economic, and diplomatic support,as well as directly intervening in the war. In the process, 100 American soldiers were deployed to operate the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, a high-tech air defense system.In addition, American pilots flew drones over Gaza to provide Israel with information. This work was done to find the where about so far Palestinian militant leaders and hostages in Gaza.Israeli government spokesman David Menashe said that Israel’s March 18,2025,attack on Gaza was “fully coordinated with Washington” and thanked the Trump administration for “their strong support for Israel.”

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization(NATO) was a military alliance formed primarily to serve the security interest so the United States and Western European countries in the North Atlantic region. Although Israel is not officially a member of the military alliance,most of its members,especially the United States,have maintained close relations as very crucial allies and friends. In other words,it is no exaggeration to say that Israel is a shadow or extension of American imperialism. The current US President, Donald Trump, himself is warning the Western European countries that are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization(NATO) that the US cannot afford to pay for their security. However,in the case of Israel, he has left no stone unturned and no grass unturned in providing full economic and military support. US President Donald Trump has not only said that Gaza residents should be displaced and resettled in neighboring Arab countries, but that the US should also take over Gaza. In this way, to the extent that the US has supported Israel, this war should be called the joint war of the US and Israel.

The greatest suffering and pain of the Palestinian people is their inability to achieve the recognition of a sovereign, independent Palestinian nation/state with geographical integrity in their homeland. According to the agreement signed between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in Oslo, Norway, on September 13, 1993, the Palestinian National Authority was established on May 13, 1994, with partial non military(civilian) powers delegated from the Israeli administration.On November 19,2012,the United Nations granted the Palestinian National Authority the status of a non-member observer state. Although the majority of the members of the United Nations have voted in favor of granting full membership to the State of Palestine, this has not been possible due to the US’s veto.

The current situation of Palestine is one nation-state in two territories,with the State of Israel,which contains an area of 21,937 square kilometers, sandwiched between the two territories. To the east is the West Bank, which covers an area of about 5,640 square kilometers and has a population of 2,747,943, and to the west is the Gaza Strip, which covers an area of 365 square kilometers and has a population of 2,351,000, on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. Initially, the Gaza Strip was also controlled by the Palestinian National Authority (State of Palestine), but after the elections held in 2006, it has been under the control of Hamas. However, both Palestinian territories remain under Israeli control.

The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was founded on May 28,1964,and its main component is Fateh,and nine other groups are included.Hamas(Islamic Resistance Movement) was founded on December 10,1987,after splitting from the Muslim Brotherhood. It is reported that it also has a militant force of 20 to 25 thousand fighters.The basic conflict between these two organizations is that the PLO recognizes the existence of the State of Israel and is in favor of maintaining peaceful relations with Israel.

Similarly, it wants to establish an independent and sovereign Palestinian state through the process of a two state solution. In addition,the PLO refuses to be a proxy corps of Iran. In contrast, Hamas rejects the existence of Israel and acts as an ally of Iran. In terms of formal international recognition, the PLO is more established than Hamas. Since 2007,the bitterness between these two parties began,and due to the intolerance and hostility between them, one cannot exist in the area of influence of the other. As a result, they

are unable even to work together and cooperate in the struggle against Israel. The existence of a serious disharmony between them is an advantage for Israel.

The Israeli counterattack began after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. This is the 15th war in a series of wars between Gaza and Israel. The attack, which was carried out to pressurise Israel to release Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, killed 1,195 people, including 815 civilians, Israelis, and foreigners, and took 251 hostages.After Israel eliminated Hamas fighters who had entered its territory,it launched a heavy bombardment on Gaza on October 27, 2023, intending to exterminate Hamas and free Israeli and foreign hostages. Since Israel began the counterattack, it has been reported that more than 50,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed. Half of them are women and children, and 110,000 Palestinians have been injured and disabled. Israel has previously assassinated senior figures in Hamas and the Lebanese Hezbollah organization inside and outside Gaza.

By early 2025,most of Gaza’s agricultural land,religious and cultural sites,educational and health institutions, and cemeteries had been destroyed and rendered uninhabitable by the Israeli offensive. Some 230,000 Palestinians in Gaza had been forcibly displaced,while 100,000 Israelis had been internally displaced.Torture and sexual violence have been committed by the Israeli military and Hamas militant groups. Experts and human rights groups have said that both Israel and Hamas have committed war crimes,and that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. The genocide committed by the state of Israel was assessed by the International Court of Justice. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli diplomat and former military officer Yoav Galant, and the head of the Palestinian militant group Izz al-Din al-Qassam, Mohammed Deif. The arrest warrant was withdrawn after Mohammed Deif was killed. The first ceasefire between Hamas and Israel was reached on November 24, 2023, and the second on January 18,2025, through the facilitation and mediation of the Arab state of Qatar. However, neither of these ceasefires has been implemented in good faith, and the war continues to this day, causing loss of life and property. Due to the support and involvement of other world powers and regional powers, the war has also affected more countries in the region.

Israel is primarily responsible for the physical destruction and genocide in Gaza. However, Hamas’s tactics are also blamed for the civilian population, especially women and children, becoming victims of war in large numbers. The tactics Hamas has adopted in its war against Israel are known as the Victim Card Policy. According to this policy, they focus their attacks on residential areas, and Israel retaliates by targeting them. As a result, a large number of civilians, women, and children are unexpectedly killed. Hamas is said to be trying to discredit Israel and garner sympathy for its cause. Similarly, another strange aspect has also been seen, that is, even after the Israeli attack on Gaza, which has caused such destruction and genocide that it has almost turned into an open grave, none of the neighboring Arab countries seems ready to accept the war affected Palestinian citizens from the Gaza Strip there as refugees.In this case,it might be assumed that Hamas has adopted a policy of not allowing the war-affected people of Gaza to go to neighboring countries as refugees,and that the war affected people themselves have a psychology that makes them not want to leave Gaza. But it is not possible to pronounce what the truth is about this. Despite the heinous attacks and oppression being carried out by Israel, the fighting spirit of the Palestinian people living in the Gaza Strip, who continue to fight to defend their land with indomitable courage, is commendable.

The ongoing two and a half year long war between Hamas and Israel and the destruction and genocide it has caused in the Gaza Strip must be seen and understood in the overall context of the above historical and political phenomena. The entire justice-loving masses of the people of the world must protest and condemn in the strongest possible terms the attack,atrocities,and genocide committed by Israel on the Palestinian territory of Gaza and its people at the national and international levels. We must not only stand in favor of ending the ongoing war in Gaza and establishing peace, but also firmly support the natural right of the entire Palestinian people to establish a sovereign and independent state with their national independence. Since the struggle waged by the Palestinian people as a whole is for the attainment of their legitimate rights,that struggle just. Therefore, the victory of their just struggle is inevitable. It would be most desirable to express our best wishes to all the Palestinian people for their speedy success on the path to that just victory.