TEHRAN – May 29 marked the 600th day since Israel has been pounding the Gaza Strip.

However, Israel has scandalously failed to claim victory against resistance fighters whose number does not seem to be large.

All through these long days, that started from October 7, 2023, Israel has failed to defeat a guerrilla force that is surrounded from every corner.  

Israel may boast that it has killed the resistance forces’ commanders and leaders, but it has been proven that no movement, either political, social, or military, is dependent on a person or persons. It is the aim that motivates or drives those loyal to a particular movement.

Of course, not every military or paramilitary movement is legal or justified. But the Palestinian resistance movements are fighting against apartheid, cruelty, the illegal annexation of their remaining lands, farms, demolition of their houses, and many other vicious and horrendous acts.

It is fundamentally wrong to say all those who are resisting the invading Israeli soldiers are driven by ideology. Of course, psychologically speaking, ideology and religion have their own effects, but an important percentage of those who are battling invaders alongside Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters are secular and leftist.

Those who are fighting the occupiers were born many years after the establishment of Israel in their homeland in 1948.

They have resorted to armed struggle as they have lost their hope of international bodies and influential Western countries to enforce a rather acceptable solution to heal the old Palestinian wound.

They are noticing that those Western countries that proclaim support for human rights and pretend as upholders of international law have been instead helping Israel diplomatically and militarily to reinforce its grip over the Palestinian lands and continue its cruelty.

They are noticing Western countries, including the United States, Germany, France, Britain, and the European Union countries as a whole, say Israel’s annexation of the Palestinian lands in the West Bank is illegal, but are doing nothing to prevent it, and failed to help the Palestinians have their own country after so many years.

Given these facts, branding resistance fighters as terrorists will not help remedy this bleeding wound.

Only death and destruction 

Now, after 600 days of relentless war on Gaza, Israel's only achievement has been destroying homes, infrastructure, starving, displacing, maiming, orphaning, and killing defenseless citizens in their homes, hiding places, schools, churches, etc.

In one word, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza, and this is not honorable. Instead, it is a disgrace.