The long-awaited news to halt Israel’s genocide in Gaza, ongoing for over 15 months, has finally arrived. The agreement, negotiated during days of talks in Qatar, is expected to alleviate the suffering of millions of Palestinians and provide relief to Israeli families whose loved ones have been held hostage by Hamas. The details of the deal have now been shared with the global public.
Under the agreement, which will take effect on Sunday, dozens of hostages held by Hamas will be released gradually, and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel will return home. Furthermore, hundreds of thousands of displaced people in Gaza will be able to return to what remains of their homes. Most importantly, the flow of urgently needed humanitarian aid to this devastated region will accelerate. A six-week transition period has been planned to reach a full agreement.
Gaza Has Been Devastated!
In one of the most ruthless tragedies in recent years, nearly every corner of Gaza—a territory with a population of 2.3 million—has been destroyed. Over 90% of its residents were forced to flee their homes. Women, children, the elderly, the young, journalists, doctors, teachers—everyone—became targets of Israeli attacks. People were unable to meet even their most basic needs, and children died from hunger.
While all this was happening in Gaza, some were busy staging shows in the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus or covertly shipping goods and oil to Israeli ports. This should be recorded as a historical note.
The genocide began as retaliation for Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023, referred to as the “Al-Aqsa Flood.” The attack, timed to coincide with the anniversary of the Yom Kippur War initiated by Arab forces led by Egypt on October 6, 1973, and the Jewish holy Sabbath day, claimed the lives of over 1,200 Israelis and resulted in more than 250 hostages being taken.
This attack, followed by Israel’s genocide, disrupted all balances in the Middle East and led to an outcome that no one could have foreseen.
Iran Took a Heavy Blow
Since the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, Iran had emerged as the most significant actor in the Middle East. However, it suffered a significant blow during Israel’s attacks on Syria and Lebanon. The Shia Resistance Axis, which Tehran had built from the Mediterranean to the Gulf of Aden, with Hezbollah as its showcase group and the Assad regime as its backbone, was sidelined.
Hamas, a non-Shia member of this axis, also suffered heavy losses from Israeli attacks. While many of its senior leaders were killed, the exact number of militants who perished remains unclear. It is estimated that hundreds of militants are still operating in tunnels beneath Gaza.
Heroism at the Cost of Palestinian Lives
While Israel’s expansionist and genocidal policies are harshly criticized worldwide—particularly in the West—and there is strong sympathy for Palestinians, Hamas has complicated the situation. The radical group has spun tales of heroism at the expense of innocent Palestinian lives. Its actions, coupled with U.S.-driven fears of radicalism, have made it harder for the global community to raise its voice against Israel.
Gaza, which Hamas seized from Fatah after bloody clashes in 2006, has rarely seen peace since. The region has been repeatedly destroyed by Israel, with thousands killed. Time and again, Hamas has provided Israel with excuses by launching rocket attacks, often provoked by Iran.
Time for Hamas to Disappear
Now, the time has come for Hamas, which has turned Gaza into a prison for its own people even without Israeli involvement, to be consigned to the trash heap of history. This group must disarm and transfer control of Gaza back to Fatah instead of serving as a pawn in Iran’s provocations.
Of course, as long as “hawks” like Netanyahu, who deny Palestinians the right to live, remain in power, Israel will continue to target Gaza and the West Bank, seeking to seize whatever rights Palestinians have left. However, without a radical group like Hamas in the picture, it will be much harder for Israel to justify its massacres.
