On October 17, 2023, the world was shocked as hundreds of civilians were killed in a deadly bombing that struck the Al-Ahli al-Arabi (Baptist) Hospital in Gaza’s Al-Zeitoun district. The hospital had not only been treating patients injured in earlier Israeli airstrikes but had also been serving as a shelter for thousands of Palestinians fleeing relentless Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) bombardment. As the news of the massacre spread, tens of thousands of outraged protesters took to the streets across the Middle East—from Lebanon and Jordan to Turkey and Tunisia, and even in the occupied West Bank—targeting Israeli embassies as well as the offices of Western imperial powers like the United States and France.
The Israeli government, as expected, immediately denied any responsibility for the attack. First, it blamed a malfunctioning rocket from Hamas, then shifted the blame to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) organization. As Israel’s propaganda machine churned out fabricated “evidence” in an attempt to distance itself from the massacre, many observers drew parallels to previous atrocities committed by Israel, where the truth was only reluctantly admitted after substantial international pressure.
Israel’s Pattern of Denial and Deception
The pattern of denial and deceit is all too familiar. Consider the case of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed in May 2022 while covering an Israeli military raid in the West Bank. Initially, Israel denied any involvement, later suggesting she was caught in crossfire between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants. After months of shifting stories, it was finally proven that an Israeli sniper had deliberately targeted her despite her clear press identification. The international outcry over her death led to no accountability, as Israeli authorities shielded their soldiers from prosecution.
A similarly deceptive narrative unfolded following an Israeli airstrike in Gaza’s Jabaliya refugee camp in August 2022, where five children were killed. The initial Israeli claim was that the children had been killed by a malfunctioning PIJ rocket. Only after extensive investigations did Israel finally admit it was responsible for the deaths, yet no justice was served.
These are not isolated incidents. In 1996, Israel deliberately bombed a UN compound in Qana, Lebanon, killing 106 civilians, including 52 children. Israel initially claimed a targeting error before ultimately admitting responsibility, following investigations by the UN and Amnesty International.
The Bombing of Al-Ahli Hospital
The official Israeli narrative about the bombing of the Al-Ahli hospital is equally suspect. Israel’s initial claim—that the hospital had been struck by a PIJ rocket—was debunked when video evidence surfaced showing that the footage used to support this claim had been taken long after the hospital was bombed. Even some Israeli officials, such as propagandist Hananya Naftali, initially admitted that the hospital had been targeted by the IDF, only to later retract and apologize. Other Israeli and U.S. officials attempted to justify the strike by suggesting that Hamas was using the hospital as a base, an allegation lacking any credible evidence.
What is certain is that Gaza has been under relentless bombardment by Israel for over ten days, with the IDF deploying more firepower in one week than U.S. forces used in Afghanistan in a year. Israeli airstrikes have indiscriminately targeted civilian areas, resulting in the deaths of over 800 children and thousands more trapped under rubble. There is no “precision targeting” in this campaign; it is a terror operation aimed at the entire Palestinian population of 2.3 million.
Western Hypocrisy and the Double Standards of Imperialism
The Western media and governments continue to justify Israeli atrocities, citing the “right to self-defense” while ignoring the ongoing oppression of Palestinians. This hypocrisy was evident in the contrasting reactions to alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine and the atrocities committed by Israel in Gaza. The West’s unwavering support for Israel allows the occupation forces to continue their campaign of collective punishment against the Palestinian people.
Some Israeli leaders have even openly advocated for collective punishment, with Israeli President Isaac Herzog declaring, “It is an entire nation that is responsible.” The Israeli state has enjoyed the full backing of Western imperialism, particularly from the United States. As Western leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and French President Emmanuel Macron, visit Israel to express their support, the blood of Gaza’s innocent civilians is on their hands as well.
The People Rise Against Imperialism
The massacre at the hospital has triggered a wave of protests throughout the Middle East. Demonstrations have erupted in Beirut, Amman, Istanbul, Tunis, and beyond, targeting Israeli diplomatic buildings and Western imperialist interests. In the West Bank, thousands of Palestinians have protested against the Palestinian Authority (PA), which has long collaborated with Israel. The PA security forces have resorted to violent repression, even killing a 12-year-old girl during one of these protests.
The growing anger in the Arab world is not just directed at Israel but also at the complicity of their own governments, many of which have normalized relations with Israel while abandoning the Palestinian cause. The cancellation of a planned summit in Jordan between President Biden, Palestinian Authority President Abbas, and Arab leaders highlights the fear among these governments of being seen as too closely aligned with U.S. imperialism, fearing backlash from their own people.
The Path Forward: Escalating Resistance
As Israel prepares for a potential ground invasion of Gaza, the prospects of more bloodshed loom large. However, the Palestinian resistance remains resilient, and the anger of the masses is growing. Now is the time for an escalation of the international campaign against Israel’s war on Gaza, Western imperialism, and the occupation of Palestinian land.
The struggle for Palestinian national rights cannot be separated from the broader fight against imperialism in the Middle East. The masses of the region must rise in a revolutionary movement to challenge both Israeli aggression and the complicity of their own ruling elites. The task of communists and progressives in the West is to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people, oppose the actions of their own governments, and prepare the groundwork for revolutionary change.
The time has come to end the decades-long occupation and oppression of the Palestinian people. Only through the overthrow of imperialism and the establishment of a socialist Middle East can lasting peace and justice be achieved for all its people.