It has been a season of historic declarations and hard-won, if fragile, peace in the battered lands of Gaza. As the dust settles—at least for a moment—on years of devastation, the world is watching an unprecedented confluence of international recognition, internal Palestinian struggle, and the daunting task of rebuilding a homeland almost razed to the ground. The recent recognition of Palestinian statehood by a growing list of nations has ignited hope, skepticism, and a renewed debate over what true liberation for Palestinians can and should entail.
To understand the magnitude of the current moment, it helps to look back—way back. The Balfour Declaration of 1917, issued by the British government, set the stage for the century of conflict that followed. According to In These Times, the declaration openly supported the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine, disregarding the existence and rights of the Indigenous Palestinian population. The document, seen by many Palestinians as the origin of their dispossession, "gave those who did not own the right to cut, divide, and distribute the land to those who did not deserve." That wound, still raw after more than a hundred years, has shaped generations of refugees and resistance.
Fast forward to October 2025, and the landscape is shifting. Britain, the nation most entwined with the Palestinian struggle due to its colonial legacy, has now officially recognized the State of Palestine. The United Kingdom joins a growing chorus: 143 countries—including Spain, Ireland, Norway, and Slovenia—have already formalized their recognition, with France, Canada, and Australia joining the movement in recent months. The message is clear: there is mounting global support for Palestinian self-determination and a warning against Israel’s continued expansion in the West Bank.
Yet, as In These Times notes, for many Palestinians, these gestures feel like "nothing more than ink on paper" unless they are followed by concrete action. Recognition, while symbolically powerful, cannot undo the devastation already inflicted. Over 67,000 Palestinians have been officially killed, with projections suggesting the real toll is much higher. Ninety percent of Gaza’s residential buildings have been reduced to rubble, and more than a million people have been forced from their homes. Gaza City, once a thriving metropolis with a history spanning more than 5,000 years, now lies in ruins.
It’s not just the physical destruction that haunts Gaza. The aggression has torn at the very fabric of society—educational, cultural, historical, and social institutions have been targeted, and thousands have been detained in Israeli prisons, their whereabouts often unknown. The scars run deep, and the pain is compounded by the sense that the world only began to pay attention when Gaza was "reduced to ashes."
Nevertheless, there are glimmers of hope. In September 2025, the International Association of Genocide Scholars declared that the situation in Gaza meets the criteria for genocide as defined under Article II of the 1948 United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Shortly after, the United Nations Commission of Inquiry released a 72-page report condemning Israel for what it described as genocidal acts in the enclave. These findings, though long delayed, add moral and legal weight to the calls for accountability and justice.
The humanitarian catastrophe has reached staggering proportions. After months of warnings and mounting evidence, the world’s leading food security initiative finally classified Gaza as being in the fifth stage of hunger—"catastrophe" or "famine"—only after hundreds had already died from malnutrition and starvation. This grim acknowledgment stands in stark contrast to repeated claims by Israeli officials that "there is no famine in Gaza," as reported by In These Times.
Against this backdrop of devastation and delayed recognition, a ceasefire has finally taken effect. The truce, in force since October 10, 2025, has brought a measure of relief to Gaza’s battered population, though it falls far short of delivering true liberation. According to The Straits Times, both U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice-President J.D. Vance have expressed optimism that the ceasefire will hold, despite some violations. The world’s attention is now turning to the next phase: reconstruction and governance.
But even as countries scramble to put together an international stabilization force to govern and rebuild Gaza, a separate and equally critical struggle is unfolding within the Palestinian community itself. The question of who should lead the Palestinians—both in Gaza and beyond—has taken on new urgency. As The Straits Times reports, there is an ongoing battle between various Palestinian armed factions, with Hamas determined not to lose its grip on power. On October 12, 2025, members of Hamas’ internal security forces were deployed in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, a sign that the group intends to maintain its influence amid the shifting political landscape.
This internal contest is more than just a power struggle—it is a fight over the future direction of the Palestinian movement. The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) declared independence back in 1988, asserting the Palestinians’ right to statehood. Yet, decades later, the dream of an independent, sovereign Palestine remains elusive, complicated by divisions between factions, ongoing occupation, and the harsh realities on the ground.
Internationally, the recognition of Palestine is seen by some as a long-overdue correction, a way to atone for past injustices. But as In These Times cautions, "this international recognition may be meant to atone for a historic injustice, but it will remain meaningless unless followed by real action." The call is not just for symbolic gestures, but for tangible steps: ending the bloodshed, enforcing arms embargoes, breaking blockades, dismantling the occupation, and supporting movements like Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS).
Grassroots pressure has played a significant role in shifting government policies. Citizens around the world have taken to the streets, demanding an end to the carnage and an end to decades of occupation. The case brought by South Africa against Israel before the International Court of Justice stands out as a powerful example of international advocacy, echoing Nelson Mandela’s famous words: "Our freedom is incomplete until the freedom of the Palestinians." This bond, forged through shared histories of struggle, continues to inspire solidarity across continents.
Yet, the road ahead is daunting. The recognition of Palestinian statehood, while historic, came only after "77 years of dispossession, 58 years of occupation, six wars on Gaza, and two years of an ongoing genocide," as In These Times puts it. Turning recognition into reality will take even longer—and will require the world to move beyond words to meaningful, sustained action.
For now, the people of Gaza are left to pick up the pieces, drawing on reserves of resilience that have amazed and humbled observers for generations. The ceasefire may not have delivered liberation, but it has preserved lives—and, perhaps, planted the seeds for a future in which Palestinians can finally exercise their "unalienable right to self-determination on their own land." The hope, cautious though it may be, is that this time, the world will not look away.
