TEHRAN- Palestinians and pro-Palestine groups are marking the one-year anniversary of a surprise military operation carried out by the Hamas resistance movement in southern Israel and the regime’s subsequent genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.

Over 1,100 people were killed when Hamas conducted Operation Al-Aqsa Storm on October 7, 2023 and more than 250 others were taken captive.

Since the 1967 Arab–Israeli War, also known as the Six-Day War, Israel had consistently sought to portray itself as a formidable power with an invincible military. However, the Hamas attack shattered the image of the regime’s invincibility. 

Soon after Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, Western media acknowledged that it had exposed the Israeli military’s fiasco. 

Le Monde wrote at that time that the Israeli military’s defenses “collapsed like a house of cards” in the face of the Hamas attack. 

Al-Aqsa Storm Operation shattered the image of Israel’s invincibility and exposed the regime’s extreme vulnerability Following the Hamas operation, Israel declared war on Gaza with the aim of achieving “total victory” over Hamas and “destroying” the resistance group. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly vowed to continue the war until achieving his goals. A year has passed since the conflict began, but Netanyahu, known as Bibi, has not succeeded in making good on his promise. 

Israeli and Western officials have either directly or indirectly acknowledged that Hamas will remain unbeatable. 

Castles in the air

Since October 7, Israeli military chief Herzi Halevi has generally spoken of “dismantling” rather than eliminating or eradicating Hamas, a term implicitly acknowledging that even a protracted war will not be able to destroy the resistance group. 

In mid-February, assessments by Israel’s military intelligence suggested that even if the regime dismantles Hamas’s organized military capabilities, it will continue to operate in Gaza.

War minister Yoav Gallant has called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “absolute victory” dream over Hamas “gibberish”The assessments further showed that “authentic support remains” for Hamas among Gazans.

In March, the US intelligence community said in its annual report that Israel will likely face Hamas resistance "for years to come”.

Western officials have also acknowledged that Israel won’t be able to overcome the Palestinian resistance. 

The EU foreign policy chief said in February that Israel needs a political, not a military, solution to the conflict with Palestinians.

Speaking during a panel discussion on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany at that time, Josep Borrell warned that Israel cannot defeat Hamas through military means. 

Hamas cannot be destroyed 

The Israeli military spokesman also challenged Netanyahu’s war aim a few months ago. 

“The idea that it is possible to destroy Hamas, to make Hamas vanish — that is throwing sand in the eyes of the public,” Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told Israel’s Channel 13. He added, “Hamas is an idea, deeply rooted in the hearts of the residents of Gaza.”

These comments were later echoed by war minister Yoav Gallant. 

Netanyahu talking nonsense 

Speaking during a closed-door hearing before a Knesset committee in August, Gallant dismissed Netanyahu’s “total victory” slogan as “nonsense” and “gibberish”.  

Gallant also said Netanyahu’s “total victory” goal amounts to a “beating of war drums” not backed up by actions.

The Israeli army spokesman has said destroying Hamas is like throwing ashes in the public’s eyesBesides, protests inside Israel over the regime’s failed military approach toward Gaza have become a regular occurrence over the past 12 months. 

Protesters have repeatedly called on Netanyahu to reach a ceasefire deal with Hamas to secure the release of captives held in Gaza. 

Hamas freed over 100 Israeli and foreign captives following a swap deal with Israel in November. Israel has freed some of the captives following savage attacks in Gaza. Dozens of them have also lost their lives during the Israeli army’s strikes on Gaza. 

Dozens of other captives still remain in Gaza. 

In spite of increasing domestic demands to conclude the conflict, Netanyahu continues to advance brutal military operations.

Bibi has also turned a blind eye to growing international calls to end the genocidal war in Gaza. 

Over the course of Israel’s one-year assault on Gaza, huge anti-war protests have been staged across the world.

Demonstrations were also organized worldwide at the weekend on the occasion of the first anniversary of the Gaza war. 

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in major cities around the world to condemn the Israeli bloodshed in Gaza.

Rallies were held in the US, Australia as well as in European, African and Asian countries. 

Protesters demanded that the United States, Israel’s top military supplier and ally, stop sending weapons to the regime. 

Fire and fury 
In Washington, protesters demonstrated outside the White House on Saturday. One man attempted to set himself on fire at the protest, succeeding in lighting his left arm ablaze before bystanders and police extinguished the flames, the AFP reported.

“To the 10 thousand children in Gaza that have lost a limb in this conflict, I give my left arm to you…I pray my voice was able to raise up yours, and that your smiles never disappear,” the person identified as Samuel Mena Jr. wrote on social media. 

Samuel Mena Jr. attempts to self-immolate during a pro-Palestinian rally in Lafayette Park near the White House in Washington, DC on October 5. (EPA)After the fire was put out, Washington Post reporters heard the man say he was a journalist and make an assertion about spreading misinformation.

Mena’s personal website says he is a journalist who had become disenchanted with the profession over coverage of the Israel-Gaza war and guilty about what he saw as his role in it.

US media have been accused of pro-Israel bias and double standards amid the massacres that the regime has perpetrated in the enclave. 

Mena’s move is reminiscent of another tragic incident in the US a few months ago. 

In late February, an active-duty member of the American Air Force set himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C. to vent his anger at his country’s support for Israel's brutal war on Gaza. 

A video posted on social media showed Aaron Bushnell walking up to the driveway of the Israeli embassy, setting his phone down on the ground, and pouring an unknown liquid from a bottle over himself. He then ignited it while yelling "Free Palestine" repeatedly.

The flames consumed Aaron’s body and he finally fell to the ground. While Aaron was engulfed in flames, some police officers who were standing nearby with guns drawn, called on him to get on the ground.

The footage, that Aron livestreamed himself on Twitch, explained his reasons for the act of protest.

"My name is Aaron Bushnell, I am an active-duty member of the United States Air Force and I will no longer be complicit in genocide…I am about to engage in an extreme act of protest, but compared to what people have been experiencing in Palestine at the hands of their colonizers, it's not extreme at all. This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal."

The 25-year-old officer was taken to hospital in a critical condition but he succumbed to his injuries.

No end to genocide 

Israel’s yearlong war on Gaza has claimed the lives of nearly 42,000 Palestinians including some 17,000 children. According to the Health Ministry in Gaza, more than 97,000 others have also been wounded. 

Protesters around the world call for an end to Israel’s war on Gaza. Berlin, Germany [Christian Mang/ Reuters]The Israeli army has destroyed much of Gaza and targeted hospitals and people who have taken refuge there. It has not only bombed but also raided health centers which, according to international law, must be protected. 

The regime also stands accused of starving Palestinian people to death by largely restricting the entry of humanitarian aid into the territory.

Deliberate starvation  

The UN special rapporteur on the right to food has said that such Israeli measures are synonymous with war crimes. 

“Intentionally depriving people of food is clearly a war crime. Israel has announced its intention to destroy the Palestinian people, in whole or in part, simply for being Palestinian. In my view as a UN human rights expert, this is now a situation of genocide. This means the state of Israel in its entirety is culpable and should be held accountable – not just individuals or this government or that person,” Michael Fakhri told the Guardian in late February. 

The Rome statute of the International Criminal Court has also stipulated that intentionally starving civilians by “depriving them of objects indispensable to their survival, including willfully impeding relief supplies” is a war crime.

Abetting genocide 

Israel has been perpetrating appalling atrocities in Gaza with impunity. Western and Arab states have criticized Israel’s brutalities in Gaza but they have failed to take any practical measures to stop the genocide in the territory.  

The US unwavering support has emboldened Israel to butcher Palestinians in Gaza. Besides the $3.8 billion of military aid that Israel receives from the US annually, the administration of President Joe Biden has provided the regime with additional weapons worth billions of dollars since the start of the Gaza war. 

Arab states have also largely overlooked increasing demands to sever ties with Israel. 

Nonetheless, Israel has failed to achieve its goals a year after the beginning of the Gaza war. 

The regime is just prolonging the war to obscure its setbacks on the battlefield. In fact, Israel is seeking to create the impression that it has made gains as Hamas puts up resistance and becomes more popular. 

According to the Israeli army, 726 soldiers, officers and reservists have been killed during the ongoing Gaza war. As long as Israel presses ahead with the war, more Israeli troops will lose their lives.