Trump’s genocidal plan to ‘clean out’ Gaza was there all along

It is a humbling sight watching battered Palestinians stream, mostly on foot, into northern Gaza like a long, winding river.

The quiet, dignified procession back to the flattened remnants of their homes and uncertain lives is a moving testament to the resolve of a people who, despite the pervasive grief and loss, are determined to reclaim and rebuild what a genocidal regime sought to erase.

Palestinians, as I wrote in a column earlier this month, are indefatigable.

In that same piece, I explored the meaning of four words that came to mind when a ceasefire was finally struck following 15 months of relentless terror: relief, gratitude, acknowledgement, and shame.

There was a fifth word that I had planned to include but, in the happy moment brimming with renewed possibilities and hope-fueled celebrations, it seemed off-key.

The word was “fear”.

I feared the predictable rush to declare “winners” and “losers” when it should be apparent that genocide only produces ruin, death, and destruction.

A spate of instant-coffee-quick columns was indeed published claiming that Israel had lost the “war” and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been “humiliated” since, though damaged, Hamas has emerged intact and still in strutting command of Gaza.

True or not, the commentary reminded me of the jarring and short-sighted triumphalism on depressing display in the raw residue of the lethal events of October 7, 2023.