Part 11 of the series “The Palestine Question” · Beyond the book (1)

From the “Sword of Jerusalem”
to “Al-Aqsa Flood”

Dr. Mohsen Saleh’s book ends in 2021. This part continues the story: two years of raids, settlement and the most extreme government in Israel’s history, then the morning of 7 October 2023, which changed the whole region.

For high-school & university students3 themes · 30-minute readQuiz at the end

This part and the next two extend the book along its author’s approach, drawing on Dr. Mohsen Saleh’s The Battle of Al-Aqsa Flood (Al-Zaytouna Centre, 2024), statements of the Palestinian resistance, and Palestinian and Arab sources.

Timeline (2021–2023) · tap any point

Earliest on the left.

One: 2021–2023

The Road to Explosion

Many threads came together in two years: flashpoints igniting, a government declaring annexation, and normalization bypassing the Palestinians.

Turning pointsTap for details

The West Bank: a new generation of resistance

2022the deadliest year in the West Bank since 2005, according to the UN

“Lions’ Den”and the “Jenin Brigade”: cross-factional youth groups in Nablus and Jenin

3–4 July 2023the largest operation on Jenin camp since 2002: 12 Palestinians and one Israeli soldier killed

Four tightening pressuresFlip the cards

Two

7 October 2023: “Al-Aqsa Flood”

The operation launched by the Qassam Brigades with the resistance factions, which changed the equations of the whole region.

At dawn on Saturday 7 October 2023 (22 Rabi al-Awwal 1445 AH), the Qassam Brigades’ commander-in-chief Mohammed Deif announced the start of the battle of “Al-Aqsa Flood.” Fighters crossed the fence around Gaza at many points by land, air and sea under cover of rocket barrages; the Gaza Division’s military positions collapsed within hours, and about 250 soldiers and settlers were taken captive. It was the biggest security and intelligence failure in Israel’s history.

In numbers

5,000+rockets and shells in the first minutes, as Mohammed Deif announced in the launch statement

5,000+Palestinian prisoners in occupation jails before the battle, including women and children; freeing them was a declared aim

251captives taken to Gaza, most of whom returned alive in exchange deals

The “Flood” as the resistance tells itChoose

Three

How Did the Author Read the “Flood”?

From Dr. Mohsen Saleh, The Battle of Al-Aqsa Flood and the Israeli Aggression on the Gaza Strip: Political and Strategic Analyses (Al-Zaytouna, 2024).

Six strategic implicationsAs the author sees them · tap each

For group discussion

Many factors converged in 2021–2023: Al-Aqsa, the West Bank, the blockade, normalization. Which do you think weighed most, and why?
The resistance named its battle after Al-Aqsa Mosque. What does that say about Al-Aqsa’s place in the conflict?
Freeing prisoners was a declared aim of the battle. How was that achieved through exchange deals?

Wrap-up

Test Yourself

10 questions on the period from 2021 to 7 October 2023.