TEHRAN – The second anniversary of Hamas’ surprise military operation in southern Israel has reignited global debate over its origins, consequences, and political meaning.

On one side, many analysts contend that the attack—dubbed Operation Al-Aqsa Storm—served as a pretext for Israel’s full-scale war on Gaza, a campaign that has taken more than 67,000 Palestinian lives and left much of the enclave in ruins. According to this view, without the operation, Israel would not have been able to justify the deliberate starvation and humanitarian blockade that have plunged Gaza into famine.

On the other hand, a growing group of regional and international observers argues that the Hamas operation was not only inevitable but also historically transformative. They argue that the Palestinian cause, once fading from the global agenda, was revived by the October 7, 2023 events—forcing the world to confront decades of occupation, blockade, and systemic oppression.

While Western media have widely circulated the first narrative to frame Israel’s military campaign as defensive, the second view deserves equal attention for understanding the underlying dynamics that led to the eruption of the conflict.

The roots of inevitability

For decades, Israel’s policies toward the Palestinians have been defined by occupation, displacement, and economic strangulation. Since 2007, the Gaza Strip has been subjected to an all-encompassing land, air, and sea blockade—widely condemned as a form of collective punishment. The territory has often been described as the world’s largest “open-air prison,” where more than two million people are denied freedom of movement and basic rights.

The October 2023 operation must be understood against this backdrop. Two days after the Hamas attack, Israel announced a “total blockade” on Gaza, cutting off food, water, fuel, and electricity. This policy has led to widespread starvation and a humanitarian crisis unprecedented in recent memory. By August 2025, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the world’s leading authority on food crises, confirmed that Gaza City was gripped by famine—an outcome many experts attribute to the deliberate weaponization of hunger.

While Palestinians had suffered under blockade for sixteen years, the operation exposed the full extent of their plight to a global audience. It catalyzed sustained international protests and grassroots movements demanding an end to Western complicity in Israel’s siege of Gaza.

A catalyst for global awareness

Before October 2023, the Palestinian cause was gradually receding from international focus, overshadowed by other regional and global crises. Operation Al-Aqsa Storm reversed that trend. The brutality of Israel’s response—aired in real time across global media—sparked a wave of solidarity movements, from Washington to Johannesburg, London to Kuala Lumpur.

Over the past two years, millions of people have marched in support of Palestinian self-determination, calling for an end to military and economic ties with Israel. This shift in global consciousness has begun to influence diplomatic postures. Several Western states long aligned with Israel—including France, the UK, and Canada—have moved toward recognizing Palestine as a state. Analysts argue that such developments might not have been materialized without the renewed urgency created by the October 7 events.

Exposing regional ambitions

The operation also laid bare Israel’s broader regional ambitions, particularly the “Greater Israel” vision long discussed within Zionist ideology. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly supported policies reflecting expansionist tendencies, envisioning an Israel extending into parts of neighboring countries such as Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, and even Saudi Arabia.

Operation Al-Aqsa Storm disrupted this narrative of unchecked Israeli dominance, revealing the strategic resistance that continues to challenge Israel’s plans for territorial expansion.

The geopolitical fallout

The ongoing conflict has also reshaped diplomatic initiatives. U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed 20-point ceasefire plan for Gaza suggests that the resilience of Palestinian resistance has constrained Israel’s capacity to achieve total control over the enclave.

If implemented, the plan would compel Israel to withdraw from large areas of Gaza, reversing its post-war ambitions. Without the October 7 operation, Israel might have gradually tightened its grip over the territory under the guise of security. Instead, the operation underscored the enduring spirit of Palestinian resistance and its ability to alter regional power dynamics.

A defining moment in Palestinian history

Two years later, Operation Al-Aqsa Storm remains a watershed in the Palestinian struggle. Its human cost has been immense, yet it also transformed global awareness of Gaza’s suffering and reignited international discourse on justice, sovereignty, and resistance.

Whether viewed as a tragic catalyst or an inevitable uprising, the operation changed the trajectory of the conflict. It forced the world to confront the long-ignored realities of occupation and blockade, ensuring that the question of Palestine could no longer be silenced or forgotten.