Dr Ahmad Yousef
On the fourteenth night of Israel's Operation Protective Edge, the spokesperson for the Qassam Brigades announced that Israeli soldier Shaul Aaron had been captured. Gaza's streets echoed with cheering and joy. People shot bullets in the air to express their happiness and their counterparts in the West Bank filled the squares as they rejoiced in God's promise to bring a sense of ease to the believers.
The news of the captured soldier was like a bandage covering the wound caused by the Shujaiyeh massacre whose bloody scenes reminded us of other examples of Israeli aggression in Jenin, Qana and the schools in Fakhoura. The Israeli military unleashed its artillery and aircraft on the people, killing and wounding thousands. Thousands more have fled their homes, in the midst of the difficult living conditions in the Gaza Strip caused by the occupation and siege.
People in many Arab countries expressed their sense of happiness, chanting to the rhythm of "Oh Gaza" as a response to the kidnapping of the Israeli soldier. It just so happens that on that Ramadan night, millions of Muslims across the world were engaged in their nightly prayers and the asked God to protect the people of Gaza and for victory: "Oh Gaza, the home of true believers, we ask for victory against your oppressors and the highest level of paradise for those who have died and will die."
The holy month of Ramadan, throughout our Islamic history, has always been a time of victories, and Palestine, as a location and a symbol, has served as the place where many of them took place. Just as the Tatars and the Crusaders faced defeat and fell in Palestine, Gaza too is our source of pride in this operation. Victory will be written in the pages of our history and the heroes will be the likes of the Ezzedine Al-Qassam and the Aqsa Brigades. They will fight the battle against the Zionist aggressors and shake the pillars of the Israeli entity. Our flag will rise once again as a beacon between the two worlds.
The Palestinian people have always embodied qualities of sacrifice and redemption in their battle with their occupiers. Although our history reveals shocking defeats in 1948, 1956 and 1967, it is important to note that they came as a result of weak Arab attitudes. Over the years our struggle has been suffocated and limited in order to suit wider Arab agendas.
The Palestinians began their road of resistance and their struggle during the honourable Intifada of 1987 and continued on the same route during the Aqsa Intifada in 2000. Subsequent manifestations of victory began with the end of Israel's Operation Cast Lead in 2009 and continued in Operation Pillar of Defence in 2012.
Today, we say to all those who are trying to demonise our honourable struggle, particularly those who are Zionist media personalities who gloat at Gaza's pain and sorrow; to those who demonise our fighters and side with Netanyahu and the Israeli aggressors; to those journalists we say, die in your anger and frustration, for Gaza is the home of honour. It will be victorious and the Palestinians will regain their prestige and honour. And all of the people who betrayed Palestine and the Ummah's promise to protect it, in order to stand with Netanyahu and his soldiers, will be so ashamed that they will not know where to hide their faces due to their sense of shame.
During this battle, the Palestinian people have regained their valiant resistance and huge sense of pride and confidence in the Almighty. This confrontation with the Zionists is one of the promises of the Hereafter where, if God wills it, the aggressors will be tormented. The time for victories and fractures has come after the Palestinians decided to take their resistance into their own hands and, if God is willing, soon we will be victorious in our fight against our Zionist enemies.
The Arab's defeats during their previous confrontations with Israel distanced us from our dream of liberation and return. However, today we are determined in our steadfastness. We have made many sacrifices as our youth and fighters demonstrated their bravery on the streets. Our people have been patient and they have learnt to anticipate all possibilities. They have learnt that it is important to keep their morale high and to work to ensure the safety of the community. Many people have learnt the art of living frugally, saving food and other supplies in order to help those who have been displaced from their homes. It is in this way that the Palestinians demonstrate their high morals and manners.
The prevailing atmosphere of today, one that is filled with brotherhood and mutual love between the people, reminds us of the first Intifada, which began on 8 December 1987 and continued until 1994. This time of need intensified the people's willingness to help one another. People lent a hand to those in more need and did not ask much about money; instead they chose the path of dignity by helping the needy.
The Palestinians today are writing a new legendary chapter, one that exemplifies exchange, sacrifice and giving as they are also recording moments of pride and prestige in the pages of our nation's history and the history of our Ummah. These histories have been damaged by some of the humiliating concessions made by certain political groups in the Palestinian arena.
Today, we are using this foundation of resistance, which has been punctured by Israel's bombs and bullets, to redirect the compass of the conflict. This foundation will take us to the path of unbelievable victories while our heads are held high. We will regain the pride of our nation without allowing an often humiliating past to haunt us.
The credit for the victory that we are achieving is largely due to God alone. Secondary credit is due to the fighters of the Qassam, Al-Quds and Nasser Saladin Brigades as well as their brothers from other groups and factions who are engaged heavily in the fight. One must not forget to credit the steadfastness of this amazing people, who have struggled to protect the sanctities of the Islamic world for more than six decades.
The political reality that will follow the battle to regain Palestinian dignity will not resemble the meek political attitudes of surrender that have been exercised in the past. The Zionists who have practiced continued aggression towards us, our land and our holy sites will pay for what they have done. They will have no choice but to retreat and they will feel the shame that comes with defeat.
If the Palestinians embark on this battle alone with honour and glory, they will be distinguished among their Arab counterparts. After all, the current attitudes of the Arab political elite evoke the following Arabic saying, "I am no longer a fighter for I am now merely a spectator." History will record this Palestinian victory just as the FLN in Algeria, who sacrificed more than a million fighters for their liberation from France, regained Algeria's sense of honour. The Palestinians will be remembered like the Mujahideen in Afghanistan who forced the great Soviet Red Army to retreat. Another great example that one must not forget is the victory of the Viet Cong against the Americans in Vietnam. These are the scenes we have to look forward to in the history of freedom struggles. He who is deserving of justice will always be victorious. The vast amount of blood that is shed and the great sacrifices that are made for the sake of freedom from oppression are what mark a country's greatness among nations and people.
Today, among the scenes of struggle and humanity, we in Gaza draw a heroic picture marked by Palestinian dignity and glory due to the sacrifices made by the resistance groups. Our message to the international, Islamic and Arab community is simple: In Gaza there is a sense of pride and we will continue to dig underground and around the walls, and through this we will either find a way to let the light in or a path to salvation that forces the occupation to hit the ground running. Or we will die as heroes on the border or in the face of the wall. Whatever happens, do not despair; we do not fear being broken. Fortomorrow victory will come; indeed, tomorrow victory will come.
Translated from Samanews,
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