So much has been written about the events on October 7th 2023 that it has become difficult to distinguish between the truth, misinformation, and downright lies. But before we look at what really happened, first some context. In 2023, Gaza had been under an illegal siege for 16 years. The Israeli army prevented the entry of food, fuel, and medical supplies into the region. A UNICEF report found that because of this blockade, 78% of piped water in Gaza was unfit for human consumption. This was all before October 7th.
When Gazans tried to protest against the siege and their exclusion, they were mown down by Israeli troops. In March 2018, thousands of Gazans peacefully marched to the border fence. 195 people were killed, including 41 children. One does not have to fully endorse the attacks on October 7th to ask the question: what were the people of Gaza supposed to do? Should they just sit back and calmly accept their oppression and murder?
In response to the attack, and Israel’s subsequent genocide, the world press went into overdrive, claiming that babies were beheaded (disproved here), and that women were raped (this did happen. A UN report found that “Israel has increasingly employed sexual, reproductive and other forms of gender-based violence against Palestinians.” None of the alleged victims of rape by Palestinians has been found, as reported here). Israel faked a video to back a false claim that Hamas used hospitals to store weapons.
The German government – led by the SPD – kept its default position of uncritically supporting the Zionist entity. Chancellor Olaf Scholz made a statement saying that Israel’s security is German Staatsräson. A demo – entitled Solidarity with Israel – was called and attended by leaders of all political parties, including die Linke. At the same time, all demonstrations for Palestine were banned, and Robocops occupied Sonnenallee, a street in Neukölln which contains a significant number of Palestinian shops.
The demo ban was broken because people went out and demonstrated anyway, and because of possibly the most significant international movement since at least that against apartheid South Africa in the 1980s. Millions demonstrated worldwide – including 150,000 in Berlin last September. Even die Linke finally acknowledged the genocide. This genocide is still ongoing. Remembering October 7th means understanding why Palestinians rose up that day, and also understanding Israel’s murderous response.
