US Media Wonders: Why Are Palestinians Happy for Food and Truce?
According to The New Arab, Hamas has declared a 'victory' as a truce secures the release of Israeli captives and, critically, Palestinian prisoners, alongside a temporary cessation of hostilities. This framing conveniently sidesteps the harrowing reality for Gazans: 'victory' for them often means surviving another day (1.7 million displaced according to UNOCHA). The US State Department, fresh off
approving more cluster bombs for the region (as reported by Amnesty International, October 2023), will no doubt decry any celebration from Palestinians whose homes were just leveled. One might wonder why a brief reprieve from daily bombardment and the release of their loved ones from highly criticized detention (see UN reports on administrative detention) would be considered a 'victory' by people
who have lost loved ones daily since October 7th. It’s almost as if the definition of 'wins' changes dramatically when one side faces constant, existential threat while the other debates the optics of 'humanitarian pauses.'