Since the Arab states gave up on liberating Palestine in the mid-1960s, various resistance movements with different ideological and intellectual perspectives have borne the burden of liberation. Consequently, youth have become more involved in these movements, more engaged with the Palestinian cause, and more aware of the reality and danger of the Zionist project. Since that time, young people's blood has been the most shed, and they have suffered the most in various prisons, especially in the prisons of the Zionist occupation.

Before the “Al-Aqsa Flood” on October 7, 2023, interest in the Palestinian cause was waning among many young Arabs. Many believed that the Zionist army was invincible and that achieving a victory over it, or even delivering painful blows, was impossible. They thought normalization with the Zionist entity was the only option for Palestinians and Arabs, and that there was no escape from submitting and accepting the existence and superiority of “Israel.”

However, the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation had a significant impact on Palestinian and Arab youth. The events revived the Palestinian cause and brought back the tragedy of the 1948 Arab Nakba. This time, the Palestinian response was entirely different. Hundreds of thousands of Gazans rejected Zionist displacement plans, clinging to their existence in Palestine even if borders were opened and countries welcomed them.

Many opinion polls indicate that the Gaza war has had a significant impact on both Palestinian and Arab youth. In the West Bank, the majority supported the resistance project led by Hamas, while support for peaceful and normalization projects with “Israel” pursued by the Palestinian Authority, led by President Mahmoud Abbas, declined. This support for Hamas transcends party and factional commitments, favoring the resistance project.

A poll conducted on December 13, 2023, by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research showed an increase in support for Hamas in the West Bank. 85% of those surveyed supported Hamas's surprise attack on “Israel” on October 7, 2023, while only 10% supported the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, and 7% supported Mahmoud Abbas.

This poll reveals the presence and deep-rootedness of the resistance project within the Palestinian society across all factions and forces, especially among youth. Young people believe that normalization has not improved Palestinians' living conditions or deepened their sense of security and hope for a better life. Instead, it has led to increased settlements that consume land and confine Palestinians to small, fragmented areas unsuitable for life or development, let alone establishing an independent state. Therefore, the “Al-Aqsa Flood” and the Gaza war have shifted Palestinian youth from accepting the logic of normalization to embracing the horizon of resistance, increasing youth support for the resistance project and their involvement in its current.

Anyone following the impact of the Gaza war among youth in the West Bank will notice that resistance has become a youth option. Hence, “Israeli” incursions into cities, villages, and camps in the West Bank, their siege, and the arrest and killing of young people have not ceased. The number of martyrs has exceeded 370 Palestinians, while the number of detainees has surpassed 6,200 since the “Al-Aqsa Flood.” These Zionist crimes in the West Bank undoubtedly create a strong barrier against normalization projects and a lasting memory of the brutal reality of the Zionist occupation, weakening the security apparatus of the Authority in Ramallah in suppressing youth anger against the ongoing war of genocide in Gaza.

At the Arab youth level, despite the apparent calm in Arab capitals, the “Al-Aqsa Flood” and the Gaza war have revived the Palestinian cause in the hearts of many young Arabs. This awakening has prevented those known as the “Arab Likud” or “Arab Zionists” from having a media presence opposing the resistance project or supporting “Israel.” Some normalization advocates have even expressed regret for supporting normalization with “Israel.” For instance, Dr. Osama Al-Ghazali Harb apologized, writing in the Cairo newspaper “Al-Ahram”: “I apologize for my good faith in the 'Israelis,' who have revealed a vile, criminal racist spirit. I apologize to the martyrs of Gaza, and to every Palestinian child, woman, and man... I apologize.”

In a survey conducted by the Washington Institute between November 14, 2023, and January 6, 2024, involving a thousand Saudis, 95% supported what Hamas did on October 7, 2023. 91% of them viewed the Gaza war as a victory for Palestinians despite the destruction and loss of life. 96% opposed normalization with “Israel” and called for severing diplomatic, commercial, and economic ties with “Israel.” According to this survey, Hamas enjoys unprecedented support in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon. For example, in Lebanon, 8 out of 10 Lebanese have a positive view of Hamas, indicating that support for Hamas and the resistance project extends beyond sectarian boundaries.

Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim youth have played a prominent role in “humanizing” the war on Gaza and transforming it into a humanitarian tragedy that necessitates intervention to stop the barbaric genocide that “Israel” is perpetrating in Gaza. The significant efforts of youth have presented a different narrative of the war on Gaza, gaining wide global acceptance and support. This has been evident in the demonstrations flooding Western capitals, narrowing the grip on the “Israeli” and Western narrative about the war on Gaza. Youth efforts have been clear on social media platforms, providing extensive information and videos, exposing the Palestinian plight and rights. For instance, over 50 million posts appeared on the “X” platform during the first two days of the war on Gaza. Despite billionaire Elon Musk's visit to “Israel,” millions of posts condemned “Israel,” prompting the platform's administration to launch a campaign to close many influential pro-Palestinian accounts after threats from the European Commission. Hashtags supporting the Palestinian cause garnered millions of views; for example, the hashtag “#Palestine” received 40.3 billion views on “TikTok,” and the hashtag “NotJustNumbers,” which tells the stories of martyrs in Gaza, achieved wide reach.

These efforts by youth on social media have significantly changed the stance toward the Palestinian cause in most Arab countries, especially among youth. This has been confirmed by “Foreign Affairs” magazine, stating that after the Gaza war, “Israel” is less popular, having changed Arab perspectives.

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Allah (SWT) informed us that the Jews are the most hostile towards the Muslim believers, as He said: “You will surely find the most intense of the people in animosity toward the believers [to be] the Jews and those who associate others with Allah.” (Al-Ma'idah: 82) He also described them as killers of prophets and messengers; peace be upon them. “They have been put under humiliation [by Allah] wherever they are overtaken, except for a covenant from Allah and a rope from the Muslims. And they have drawn upon themselves anger from Allah and have been put under destitution. That is because they disbelieved in the verses of Allah and killed the prophets without right. That is because they disobeyed and [habitually] transgressed.” (Aal-Imran: 112)

What is happening in occupied Palestine is a disgrace to all of humanity. For over a century, Zionist Jews have committed hundreds of massacres against the Palestinian people, reaching their peak during the Nakba in 1948.

Palestinian researcher Salman Abu Sitta documented the destruction of 531 Palestinian villages and the displacement of their inhabitants, along with more than 200 war crimes and 34 massacres committed against civilians or prisoners during 1947 and 1948.

Here is a summary of the most prominent Zionist massacres against the Palestinian people during the Nakba in 1948:

              1- The “Deir Yassin” Massacre

One of the worst massacres committed by Zionist gangs in 1948 became a symbol of the “victim” of the first Nakba.

On Friday morning, April 9, 120 Zionists from the “Stern” and “Irgun” gangs launched their attack on the village, roaming the streets in triumph and killing around 254 innocent women, children, and elderly. They then mutilated the victims’ bodies and dumped them into the village well.

Sources indicate that among the victims were 25 pregnant women whose bellies were cut open while they were still alive by spearheads and 52 children whose limbs were severed in front of their mothers, along with 60 other women and girls.

Menachem Begin, one of the key founders of the entity, recounts the massacre, stating that the Arabs defended their homes, women, and children vigorously. The fighting moved from house to house, and whenever the Jews occupied a house, they blew it up with everyone inside using powerful TNT explosives brought for this purpose.

              2- The “Qalunya” Massacre

On April 12, 1948, the terrorist “Palmach” gang attacked the village of Qalunya near Jerusalem, destroying homes and causing the deaths of at least 14 civilians.

             3- The “Nasir al-Din” Village Massacre

On April 14, 1948, the “Stern” and “Irgun” militia gangs, disguised in Arab attire, attacked the village of Nasir al-Din south of Tiberias. They opened fire on the inhabitants, resulting in the martyrdom of 50 people out of the village's population of 90.

              4- The “Haifa” Massacre

On April 22, 1948, Zionist forces attacked the city of Haifa, coming from Hadar HaCarmel (the Jewish neighborhood in the Carmel Mountain). They occupied homes, streets, and public buildings, killing 50 people and injuring 200 others.

The city residents were surprised, so they brought out their women and children to the port area to transport them to the city of Acre (Akko). While they were fleeing, they were attacked by Zionist frontline positions. 100 civilians were martyred, and 200 others were wounded.

             5- The “Abu Shusha” Massacre

On May 14, 1948, “Haganah” gangs besieged the village of Abu Shusha in Haifa, launching mortar shells and indiscriminately killing the village men. This resulted in the deaths of 60 people on the eve of the declaration of the occupation state.

              6- The “Beit Daras” Massacre

On May 21, 1948, Zionist forces from the “Givati” Brigade attacked the village of Beit Daras, located northeast of Gaza, after besieging it from all directions. They indiscriminately and intensively shelled the village, resulting in the death of 260 people, including women, children, and elderly.

               7- The “Tantura” Massacre

On the night of May 22–23, 1948, a battalion from the “Alexandroni” Brigade, affiliated with the “Haganah,” attacked the village of Al-Tantura and committed a massacre against its unarmed inhabitants.

This massacre remained hidden until the year 2000, when a student at the University of Haifa, Ted Katz, submitted his master's thesis confirming the occurrence of the massacre, which claimed the lives of about 200 people.

Fawzi Tangi, one of the survivors of the massacre, recounted to “Aljazeera.net” how the occupation soldiers slaughtered members of his family and friends before his eyes.

 Tangi says, “The army separated the men who were forced to kneel and the women, children, and elderly. One of the soldiers tried to assault a girl from the al-Jabi family, so her father stood up to rescue her, so they stabbed him to death with bayonets, while the soldiers continued to search the women and steal their jewelry.”

              8- The “Ramle” Massacre

One of the largest acts of deportation and mass killing occurred in June 1948, when the Zionists gave the residents of Ramle the choice between displacement or imprisonment, a deception through which they killed many inhabitants. After this massacre, only about 25 families remained in the city, and the martyrs' bodies were dumped on the public road.

              9- The “Lydda” (Lod) Massacre

On July 11, 1948, Zionist soldiers, led by Moshe Dayan, committed a massacre against the residents of the city of Lydda, resulting in the deaths of around 426 people. This included the storming of Dahmash Mosque, where they promised safety to those who entered but killed approximately 176 citizens inside.

The Zionists forced the residents of Lydda and Ramle (60–70 thousand people) to leave, stripped them of their belongings, and nearly 350 Palestinians died on the way due to extreme heat and thirst. Additionally, the gangs looted the city and transported 1800 trucks loaded with stolen goods.

              10- The “Al-Dawayima” Village Massacre

One of the major Zionist massacres occurred on October 29, 1948, claiming the lives of over 500 people, including 300 residents of the village near Hebron.

The massacre occurred in several waves, with the most notable being the incident at the mosque known as “Al-Zawya,” where Zionist soldiers killed around 50 elders who were inside the mosque. Children were also killed during the massacre, their skulls smashed with sticks. One soldier even bragged about raping and killing a woman.

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• “The Israeli Massacres of the Palestinian People” book, by: Yasser Ali, (Al-Zaytouna Center for Studies & Consultations – Beirut)
• Palestine News & Info Agency (WAFA) https://bit.ly/3QNDASN
• Anadolu Agency https://bit.ly/4biGDe4
• net https://bit.ly/3wAQQ6o

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