Israeli Occupational Forces Barge into Al Aqsa Compound as Hamas Declares a Fleeting Victory

As the news of a ceasefire rings the air, celebrations break out in the streets of Gaza that earlier laid in desolation and wreckage caused by the incessant Israeli bombings.  Mobs flood the roads shouting the Takbir in unison, as many of them rush to Al Aqsa premises to offer the gratitude prayer. Eid had passed in mourning for most Palestinians so when a moment of relief descended upon them, they couldn’t help but welcome it with joy. That is, of course, being completely privy to how short-lived this moment can actually be.

Hamas’s Declaration of Victory in the Midst of Israeli Carnage

On Thursday, May 20, 2o21, as talks of peace prevailed with the mediation of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, a subsequent truce initiated in the early hours of Friday. With scores of Palestinians rushing out in the streets to celebrate the news, and Hamas was also rather quick to declare it as their victory.

But it was only a few hours after the Egypt-brokered ceasefire coming into effect, the Israeli forces true to their nature, again stormed the Al Aqsa compound firing in the crowd of worshippers who had come to offer Friday prayers and had remained there to commemorate the break from violence.

It should be noted that the escalation of the so-called ‘conflict’ which the international media has been trying to paint is in reality illegal Israeli oppression. Israel has been legalizing forced expulsions of Palestinian families in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.

Last month when the Supreme Court of Israel gave a verdict authorizing the forced dispossession of some 1500 Palestinians from Shiekh Jarrah, protests broke out against this motion. And thus began, a long ordeal of brutal crackdowns by Israeli Police on the unarmed worshippers including women, children, and old in the Al Aqsa Mosque complex. This persecution continued during the last 10 nights of Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar.

The Israeli occupation forces not only dispersed the crowd but used brute force like stun grenades, flash bombs, rubber-coated steel bullets, arresting hundreds of men and women.

As this barbarity intensified and took an ugly turn, Hamas got involved in fierce fighting with the Israeli occupation forces. And an incessant barrage of rockets from both ends resulted in massive destruction and loss of life.

By the end of the eleven days long tribulation and carnage, the martyrdom toll at the Palestinian side had reached more than 220 including 70 children and about 1900 wounded & maimed. While 12 died at the Israeli end too including 2 children.

So, when calls of ending the violence and support to the Palestinian liberation cause from around the world grew louder, a truce became inevitable. As Israel received an overwhelming backlash from most countries and from within the state, ceasefire negotiations started finally reaching an agreement.

Hamas declared a victory soon after, considering the sheer force with which they responded to Israeli aggression even after lack of resources and heavy martyrdom toll.

And perhaps this very celebration of victory by the Palestinians enraged Israel which led to fresh violence in the Al-Aqsa compound when worshippers were again dispersed from the complex using vicious force, hours after the truce agreement.

The Suppression of Truth and the Global Response to Palestinian Plight

As the horrifying visuals of bombings on Gaza and massacre started doing rounds on the various social media platforms. There have been reports of censorship and removal of such posts mentioning the hashtags of Israeli oppression and Palestine liberation.

Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram, in particular, have received heavy criticism for eyewashing the facts. So much so, that Facebook’s ratings have rapidly gone down on Google Playstore and Apple Playstore in Asia from solid five stars to 1.2 stars at the time of writing.

In fact, the international media is known for their anti-Palestine and Pro-Israel stance, which accuses Hamas of initiating terrorism while turning a blind eye to the atrocities that Israel puts Palestinians through every single day.

The blatant flouting of the Geneva convention and violation of the human rights of Palestinians by Israel is not something new. But there’s a clear shift in the tide, a change was noticed this time. A very stark but evident change was in the narrative and the stance of the world even after the continuous brainwashing that is done at the mass level.

The media couldn’t deter people from across the world from standing by the Palestinian cause and maybe that has started to irk Israel. The visuals of wounded children and bombings shook the world to its core.

The people have woken up to the reality and hypocrisy of Israel-is-the-victim narrative, rejecting the pretexts that they’ve been using to ethnically wipe out the Palestinians. The world sees this brutal occupation for what it truly is.

Recently, a CNN host was seen having a meltdown onscreen during an interview with the Foreign Minister of Pakistan Shah Mehmood Qureshi. When he candidly stated that Israel has deep pockets and controls the world media. She accused the Politician of anti-Semitism.

Ironically, what Israel is doing to the Palestinians who are also Semites, is never seen in the same light of racial injustice. It’s high time Israel shed the phony portrayal of being the ultimate victim of genocide and came clean. The whole world is watching and no matter how much they try with their super-advanced military technology, they can’t win from a people who aren’t afraid to die.