In a lengthy article published by the Israeli online magazine +972, Palestinian writer Mohammad Shhada painted a tragic picture reflecting the extent of destruction that has affected all aspects of life in the Gaza Strip due to the fierce war waged by the occupation forces, which continues to this day, two years after Hamas’s attack inside Israel on October 7, 2023.

According to the author, Gaza has become a place where death is a daily event and survival has become almost impossible, with silence being more eloquent than any call for justice, highlighting that Palestine has become, two years after the Al-Aqsa flood, the graveyard of failed strategies.

He affirmed that what gave Hamas’s armed resistance strategy legitimacy among Palestinians was not the belief in violence itself, but the failure of all other alternatives represented by negotiations, diplomacy, advocacy in international bodies and courts, moral persuasion, and peaceful resistance.

Shhada, a Gaza native and political analyst and visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, noted that in the early days following the Hamas attack, he spoke with his loved ones in Gaza by phone whenever possible.

“I realized that every call could be the last time I hear their voices. Our conversations revolved around pain, despair, and fear that death was approaching. Some shared their last wills with me, others wished for death as relief from this eternal torment.”

He added that after 24 months, his loved ones’ bodies appeared like ghosts due to continuous bombing, starvation, and displacement. They became seekers of livelihood and shelter, chased by Israeli soldiers wherever they fled, and every detail of their lives became a painful struggle for survival.

He believes it is difficult to predict the long-term impact of the collective trauma caused by the Gaza genocide on Palestinians’ convictions, but recently two main trends have emerged, seemingly contradictory at first glance.

On one hand, there is “growing anger” toward Hamas because of the October 7, 2023 attacks, even within its ranks and senior leadership, he claimed.

Shhada mentioned that Arab officials—without revealing their identities—told him that former Hamas political bureau chief Khaled Mashal and others from the moderate wing described the attack in closed sessions as “reckless” and a “disaster,” and criticized the movement’s war management.

On the other hand, the genocide committed by Israel in Gaza and its threat to forcibly displace the population have caused some of Hamas’s fiercest opponents to become its strongest supporters.

According to the article, the genocide carried out by Israel for two years has left behind not only destruction and corpses but also emptied terms like “siege,” “resistance,” and “genocide” of their meanings due to overuse and inability to describe the daily catastrophe in Gaza.

Shhada noted widespread fear, even among critics of the October 7 attack two years ago, that if Hamas is crushed, Israel will occupy Gaza indefinitely without any significant international objection. “According to this view, permanent takeover and complete ethnic cleansing can only be prevented by continuing the armed struggle waged by Hamas.”

He sees that support for armed resistance will remain, “and may even increase,” as long as the genocide continues or if the Israeli army remains in Gaza after a ceasefire to prevent reconstruction.

However, he believes that if an agreement is reached today including a full Israeli withdrawal, lifting of the suffocating siege, and a clear political horizon, the motivation for Gazans to cling to armed struggle will disappear, and many supporters of this approach will be the first to condemn Hamas once the war ends, according to him.

He pointed out that all alternatives to violence have been met with global silence while Israel continues to increase killing and expelling Gaza’s residents.

He said whenever Hamas leaders are asked why they refuse to officially recognize Israel and renounce violence, their answer is always that “Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has done all that and more, and now cooperates with Israel. Can you name one good thing they have given him in return?”

They then explain how Israel not only ignores Abbas’s concessions but humiliates, punishes, and demonizes the Palestinian Authority.

He says Hamas is well aware of this, adding that it has informed mediators during ongoing negotiations in Egypt about US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war of its readiness to hand over offensive weapons while retaining light defensive arms, such as rifles and anti-tank missiles.

He concludes that Hamas fears that complete disarmament would create a security vacuum in Gaza that could be filled by Salafi or jihadist groups, criminal gangs like the Israeli-backed “Abu Shabab” militia, or even expose it to popular revenge, he claimed.

The writer rules out that Hamas will launch a new attack in the near future similar to the one on October 7, 2023, after losing the element of surprise and Israel becoming more prepared.