Sameera Casmod | sameerac@radioislam.co.za
15 April 2024 | 09:20 a.m. SAST
2-minute read

The world awoke on Sunday to reports of Iran’s retaliation to Israel’s attack on the Iranian embassy in Syria with over 300 drones. The responses from the ground in Gaza is varied, ranging from hope that any outside intervention can hasten a solution, to a matter unrelated to daily struggles in Gaza.

“We need to look at [the Palestinian response] through the  prism of the abandonment that people in Gaza have felt in the wake of the Israeli genocide,” Moulana Ebrahim Moosa noted earlier this morning on the Palestine Report on Radio Islam International.

While footage circulated from Gaza depicts some scenes of celebration, Iran’s motives have been viewed as a strategic move to safeguard Iran’s interests rather than a genuine effort to assist Palestinians.

“People are saying this is merely an attempt by Iran to preserve its dignity, it’s theatre, and a sentiment that’s not only heard in Iran, not only heard in Palestine, but all over the world, saying that this assault was coordinated—and there is evidence of that—with the United States in order to cause more harm, pointing to the many hours it took for the Iranian drones to get close to the Israelis and giving the Israelis plenty of time to shoot them down,” Moulana Moosa says.

Hamas has defended Iran’s actions as a rightful response to Israeli aggression.

It is imperative that the Israel-Iran conflict does not detract from the ongoing horror and destruction in Gaza.

“As one Palestinian displaced in Rafah said, “Iran’s attack on Israel is not really our business. The only thing that we care about is going back to our homes.” So it’s those real day-to-day struggles that Palestinians in Gaza are facing, that are much more magnified or should be much more magnified than perhaps theatre regarding state interests and geopolitical interests that obviously underpin what is going on now between the Israelis and the Iranians,” Moulana Moosa says.

Meanwhile, assessments of Israeli failure have become increasingly mainstream, drawing attention from international observers and figures within the American Democratic Party. Criticisms range from questioning Israel’s status as a democracy to recognising its actions as genocidal.

Figures such as former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and US Senator Elizabeth Warren have called for reevaluating US support for Israel, while analysts like Dr Tom Phillips argue that Israel’s objectives remain unmet despite prolonged military campaigns.

“An interesting phrase in his article, he says, “The head-spinning speed of Israel’s post-October 7th de-legitimisation, in the eyes of many in the world, can be seen as further evidence of Israeli [failure].”

The Israeli army has recalled two reserve brigades for operations in Gaza once again, indicating the potential mobilisation for a ground attack on Rafah.

The situation in the West Bank has significantly deteriorated, with escalating violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers and a surge in arrests of Palestinians. Gideon Levy of Haaretz highlights the growing crisis in the West Bank, pointing to increased checkpoints, land confiscations, and displacement of Palestinian communities.

Reports indicate that at least 600 Israeli settlers stormed the villages of Duma and al-Mughayyar in the occupied West Bank. Settlers set 21 houses and 30 cars alight during the attacks, some of which lasted for eight hours, while preventing fire trucks from entering the villages. It is reported that four people sustained gunshot wounds, and six sustained stab wounds.

Moulana Moosa draws attention to the importance of understanding the plight of the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, while the world’s focus shifts to the Israel-Iran conflict.

Listen to the Palestine Report on Sabaahul Muslim with Moulana Sulaimaan Ravat.