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Hamas Has Brought a Vast, New Nakba on the Palestinians

(Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs) Yoni Ben Menachem - After the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, senior Hamas figures rushed to declare "victory." Yet across the Arab world and inside Gaza, the widespread sense is that Israel defeated Hamas. From Hamas's perspective, merely surviving is framed as a "victory," diverting attention from the harsh reality. Hamas inflates its achievements - most notably, the return of the Palestinian issue to the global stage - as cover for the human, social, and economic devastation it inflicted on Palestinian society. The war that Hamas forced upon Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, seeking to "restore lost Palestinian dignity" through blood and fire, produced the largest Nakba in Palestinian history. Palestinians repeatedly choose leaders who destroy Palestinian society from within. Generations of Palestinian leadership preferred death to life, symbolism to reality, and revenge to a future. Tragically, there is currently no sign that Gazan society is about to recover. On the contrary, voices calling for jihad and chants of "Death to the Jews" are once again being heard in Gaza. Israel must draw the necessary lessons from the war and prepare thoroughly for the next conflict. The writer, a veteran Arab affairs and diplomatic commentator for Israel Radio and Television, is a senior Middle East analyst for the Jerusalem Center.
2025-10-16 00:00:00
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