October 7: Two Years Since the Al-Aqsa Flood — A Revolution That Shook the World
An in-depth reflection on the two-year legacy of the October 7 operation, the rebirth of anti-colonial struggle, and the enduring spirit of Palestinian Resistance
Palestine, PUREWILAYAH.COM — We’ve officially reached the second anniversary of October 7. Two years since the world watched in astonishment as early morning videos showed Palestinian Resistance fighters soaring over the prison walls that had enclosed Gaza for decades.
Two years of war — a war whose brutality and resilience have been captured and witnessed as never before.
Two years marked by global outcry, shifting alliances, and unwavering defiance — where Resistance fighters laid down everything they had in pursuit of freedom.
Before October 7, the struggle for Palestine existed mainly in paper declarations, buried in international organizations that excluded Palestinian voices, reduced to sporadic clashes between an occupier and a people gasping for air.
But October 7 proved that liberation is not granted by mercy, nor signed in offices — it is seized by those who refuse to live on their knees.
Rebirth of a Global Anti-Colonial Spirit
The events of October 7 rekindled a revolutionary energy not seen since the Cuban and Algerian revolutions, when nations threw off their colonizers and reclaimed their sovereignty.
From the daring dawn operations to the prolonged battles that followed, the Palestinian Resistance reminded the world that decolonization is alive, that history is not over, and that the oppressed still have the power to confront their occupiers.
The day also reshaped the global narrative — proving that the “underdog” still possesses the courage and capability to challenge an entity built on oppression and exclusion.
The Flood Begins
At 6:31 a.m. local time, October 7, 2023, air raid sirens echoed across the occupied territories — from the Gaza envelope to Tel Aviv (Occupied Jaffa). Twenty minutes later, Palestinian media reported dozens of rockets fired in rapid succession toward Israeli military sites.
Soon after, footage surfaced of Resistance fighters storming Israeli bases and settlements, breaking through walls once thought impenetrable.
In a 10-minute address, Mohammad Al-Deif, the now martyred Chief of Staff of the Al-Qassam Brigades, announced the dawn of Al-Aqsa Storm.
Shortly after, Al-Qassam Spokesperson Abu Obeidah declared:
“This enemy will wake up in astonishment when it realizes the extent of its disappointment. Know that Al-Aqsa Flood will be carried out as planned.”
Similarly, Abu Hamza, the martyred Spokesperson of Al-Quds Brigades (PIJ), proclaimed:
“Today, the Resistance records a new chapter of victory. The enemy, humiliated and defeated, feels death everywhere. We warned them to leave peacefully; they refused — so killing became our way.”
Cracks in the Myth of Israeli Security
The greatest shock of the operation lay not only in its execution but in its symbolic shattering of Israel’s security illusion — a myth that continues to haunt its society.
For years, Israel boasted of its technological dominance and ironclad defenses, from six-meter concrete walls to automated gun turrets and surveillance drones. Yet on that morning, these fortifications crumbled within minutes.
According to Israeli media:
“The massive attack came under cover of a missile barrage … involving sniper fire, drone-dropped explosives, and bulldozers that tore through the six-meter double fence at around 30 locations.”
The Palestinian drones that blinded Israeli cameras and turrets created a “crack in the dam,” dismantling Israel’s surveillance advantage and leaving its pilots flying blind.
The overreliance on technology became Israel’s downfall — as Palestinian fighters executed their mission with precision, capturing soldiers and returning safely, while Israeli units scrambled in confusion.
The Media War: Resistance on Every Front
While Israel fought to control international perception, the Palestinian Resistance dominated the information battlefield.
Through military media units of Hamas, PIJ, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), the world saw footage of ambushes, sniper operations, and factory lines producing Gaza-made weapons — from the al-Yassin RPG to the Rajoum multiple rocket launcher.
These images told the world that Palestine is not a broken people, but a self-reliant movement capable of complex coordination and production — all under siege.
For supporters worldwide, these broadcasts boosted morale and strengthened conviction. For the Zionist regime, they shattered decades of propaganda about Palestinian weakness.
The Will of the Fighter
At the heart of this war lies the unbreakable spirit of Palestinian Resistance fighters.
Armed often with nothing but faith and courage, they faced armored vehicles and warplanes wearing slippers, tracksuits, or barefoot.
Videos captured the moments of young men planting explosives on tanks, calling on their Lord before striking blows that turned fear into victory.
The war revealed that material power cannot defeat spiritual might. A youth with a mine and conviction proved stronger than a tank with millions in funding.
Every act of defiance became a spiritual catalyst, inspiring others to rise, reminding the world that belief and determination can outweigh an empire’s machinery.
The Language of Decolonization
For the international community, the hardest truth to accept was that Palestinian violence was not senseless — it was a necessity of liberation.
As Frantz Fanon wrote in The Wretched of the Earth:
“Decolonization … is clearly an agenda for total disorder.”
He asserted that freedom cannot emerge from polite negotiations or goodwill — but from a people’s confrontation with their oppressor’s violence.
Israel’s rule over Palestinians — through forced expulsions, land theft, water deprivation, and daily humiliation — has always been violence institutionalized. Generations grew up under occupation, and violence begot resistance.
To quote Fanon again:
“To destroy the colonial world means nothing less than demolishing the colonist’s sector … burying it deep within the earth.”
Thus, the Resistance’s uprising was not chaos; it was the inevitable counterforce to a century of dispossession.
The Futility of Peace Talks
The October 7 operation was the outcome of decades of failed peace efforts — from the 1949 armistice and Oslo Accords, to the Arab Peace Initiative and the Great March of Return.
Each time, Palestinians extended their hand, and Israel responded with bullets, settlements, and apartheid laws.
As Palestinian revolutionary Ghassan Kanafani said,
“This would be akin to a conversation between the sword and the neck.”
October 7, therefore, was not the beginning of violence — it was the breaking point of a people refusing to die quietly.
Existence as Victory
Israel’s ultimate goal, beneath all its rhetoric, has been the depopulation of Gaza.
Figures like Itamar Ben-Gvir and Israel Katz openly called for mass expulsion, while Netanyahu cloaked similar intentions under the guise of “voluntary migration.”
Yet despite the relentless bombings and genocidal rhetoric, the people of Gaza remain — steadfast on their land, steadfast in their faith.
In one of his statements, Abu Obeidah saluted the people of Gaza:
“We kiss the foreheads of all our great steadfast people who remain patient and victorious.”
Palestinians did not surrender. They did not beg for mercy.
They stood their ground, exposed Israel’s crimes, and proved that their continued existence is itself a form of victory — a living resistance against colonial erasure. (PW)
Source: Al-Mayadeen