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Since the 2006 elections, in which Hamas rose to power thanks to the democratic choice of the Palestinian people, the Palestinian resistance has faced multiple challenges and pressures on all levels.
In Gaza, the resistance embodied 17 years of resilience despite the suffocating blockade and repeated Israeli attacks. The battles of "Sword of Jerusalem" and "Flood of Al-Aqsa" marked a turning point in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, establishing a new phase of confrontation based on the principle of "we invade them, they do not invade us". However, with this shift, Hamas has been facing continuous depletion due to ongoing wars and increasing brutality, affecting its human, military, and administrative resources.
On a popular level, the residents of Gaza are living under constant depletion due to the systematic genocide that has exceeded humanitarian limits and continued for over 10 months. The occupation committed over 4500 massacres, resulting in scenes of blood and pain, with around 40,000 people killed, most of them children, women, and elderly. Many more were injured, some facing permanent disabilities. These massacres not only took lives but also led to comprehensive destruction of infrastructure, making Gaza look like a city emerging from the horrors of World War II.
The pressure on the internal front in Gaza is Netanyahu's only card to weaken the resistance. With ongoing forced displacement, families are forced to leave their destroyed homes in search of temporary shelter, lacking basic necessities such as housing, food, clean water, electricity, and medicine. Daily life in Gaza has become a battle for survival, with residents facing unbearable suffering, especially during the scorching summer with diseases resulting from water pollution and skin diseases.
In these harsh and desperate conditions, intensifying human suffering seems to be Netanyahu’s last card in his desperate attempts to weaken the resistance.
Militarily, the challenges facing the resistance continue with the ongoing Zionist presence on the ground in Gaza, complicating the task of regaining effective control and reorganizing previous governance. Amidst these complexities, the resistance continues to fight against systematic gang wars, strengthening its position and demonstrating its ability to endure despite increasing pressure.
Arab complacency remains a decisive factor complicating the situation for the resistance.
In the West Bank, as these challenges unfold in Gaza, the situation is no less complicated. The resistance faces intense Israeli attempts to eliminate all forms of resistance in complex circumstances in the region. The West Bank, strategically important for the resistance due to its geographical and demographic location, witnesses’ efforts to marginalize and distort the image of the resistance, financed with billions of dollars. These attempts are accompanied by efforts to force the resistance to surrender, while the Palestinian Authority seeks to end the war on Israeli terms. This reality has deepened the internal Palestinian division, weakening the Palestinian position internationally and leaving the resistance without official political support.
Regarding the popular scene, the division between "Fatah" and "Hamas" reflects a deeper division between two conflicting projects: the first believes in a two-state solution and seeks to eradicate resistance, while the latter represents resistance with its aspirations for liberating the land. In this regard, the Palestinian Authority, which was established under American supervision, seeks to use repression and pressure to intimidate the resistance environment.
Furthermore, forced displacement and Judaization constitute additional pressure against the resistance in the West Bank and Jerusalem. These policies aim to radically change the demographic and geographic reality, obscuring the Palestinian identity. This makes the two-state solution nearly impossible. These policies are manifested in the increase in settlements and settlers, as well as Israeli decisions that facilitate the seizure of Palestinian lands, adding new complexities to the situation.
The absence of international institutions exacerbates the difficulty for the resistance. Externally, challenges facing the resistance become more complex due to regional and international developments. On one hand, the United States continues to shape the region according to its strategic interests, especially by supporting "Israel" as a key strategic ally. In this context, the "Deal of the Century" is a clear example of attempts to reshape the Arab and Palestinian reality in line with the American vision aimed at weakening the resistance.
Arab reluctance remains a crucial factor complicating the scene for the resistance. Many Arab countries have chosen to focus on their internal issues or enter alliances with major powers at the expense of the Palestinian cause. This reluctance, along with the recent wave of normalization between "Israel" and certain Arab countries, deepens the isolation of the resistance and makes occupation an accepted reality in the region. This increases the pressure on Palestinian resistance.
Internationally, the absence of the role of international institutions highlights another factor increasing the complexity of the situation. Despite international resolutions supporting the rights of the Palestinian people, the inaction of these institutions reflects their weakness in confronting Israeli policies. This allowed the occupation to continue without accountability. In the same context, "Israel" continues to rely on intensive media campaigns aiming to distort the image of Palestinian resistance and portray it as terrorist groups, attempting to change the global perspective on the Palestinian issue and make it appear as a secondary conflict compared to other conflicts in the region.
Amid these increasing challenges, the current requirements for Palestinian resistance are highlighted, which are not easy. The resistance needs to overthrow the security system aligned with the occupation and activate a popular uprising to shake this system. Additionally, the resistance must unify the Palestinian ranks based on resistance and strengthen national unity while continuing the battle on all fronts.
The resistance must also confront the demonization campaign by the United States, raise public awareness and mobilize it in this battle. Moreover, it is essential to resist normalization and work on raising awareness of its dangers, as well as strengthening relationships with allies and supporters to provide necessary political cover.
Lastly, it is crucial to enhance popular resilience by providing resources to support the Palestinian people in facing oppression and suffering, adhering to the conditions of resistance in any negotiations, and being prepared for a long battle if necessary.