A Reckoning With Civilization Itself: How the Genocide in Gaza Reshaped the Middle East
I have covered many wars in the past but nothing—absolutely nothing—prepared me for the brutality, cruelty, and the sheer savagery of Israel’s war in Gaza. I wasn’t alone. Veteran colleagues at Al Jazeera—battle-hardened reporters who had walked the ruins of
The brutal and merciless Israeli war in Gaza has left an indelible mark on the Middle East, surpassing the devastation of previous conflicts. Veteran journalists, who have witnessed war in various regions, confessed that they had never encountered such a level of savagery. The Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, initiated following Hamas's attack in October 2023, has resulted in more destruction than any other conflict in recent history.
Civilians have borne the brunt of the violence, with the United States-led coalition's three-year campaign against ISIS yielding fewer civilian casualties.
The impact of the war has been immeasurable, particularly for journalists, doctors, humanitarian workers, and UN staff, who have become targets of the conflict. Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, justified the destruction of civilian infrastructure by drawing a comparison to Operation Carthage, a World War II attack on Nazi intelligence headquarters in Copenhagen that inadvertently killed 86 children. However, this analogy is both overreaching and grossly insensitive.
The conflict has evoked memories of the 1948 Nakba, with communities being forcibly displaced, this time under the watchful eyes of drones and satellites. Israeli soldiers have been captured on camera, participating in acts of looting, destruction, and humiliation of civilians, some of whom were even killed. Israeli media, once a bastion of democracy, has been transformed into a platform for inciting vengeance, with news anchors, generals, and celebrities promoting a culture of hate.
The war has left an estimated 90 percent of Gaza's population, over two million people, displaced, and more than 92 percent of homes damaged or destroyed. The images of this devastation are unbearable, particularly for those who have lost loved ones. The brutal nature of the conflict has pushed many survivors to continue reporting on the atrocities, despite the personal costs. The Israeli government has even contemplated the use of nuclear weapons against Gaza, demonstrating the depth of the crisis.
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