The Missing Lens

It is easy to reduce a long and complex struggle to a single shocking moment, an event capable of imposing itself on global consciousness and becoming the framework through which all subsequent details are understood. However, the problem arises when that moment turns into the "only lens" through which the entire reality is viewed.

There is no doubt that what happened on October 7 was a pivotal and shocking event that triggered a wide wave of condemnations around the world in light of reports and testimonies about civilian casualties. However, limiting our focus only to this day without considering what followed creates an incomplete understanding of the conflict and results in a distorted image of the reality on the ground.

The world initially became engrossed in the shock of the attack but soon found itself confronted with extended scenes of destruction and human suffering in Gaza. Over time, the question was no longer limited to: What happened on that day? Instead, the more pressing question became: What happened after it? What is happening now? And what is the ongoing humanitarian cost of this escalation?

Here lies the essence of the crisis: justice cannot be built on selective memory nor on a narrative viewed from only one perspective. Just as it is impossible to ignore what happened on October 7, ignoring the ensuing humanitarian and political repercussions leads to a disjointed and incomplete understanding of the overall situation.

An increasing segment of international public opinion is beginning to reconsider the conflict, not through the lens of a single event, but from the perspective of the complete trajectory of events. Many are even re-examining the broader context of the conflict, including the historical accumulations preceding October 7, 1948, as part of a deeper understanding that cannot be overlooked when attempting to explain the present. This shift is not only related to political positions but also to what images and testimonies convey about the complex and painful human reality in Gaza.

In this context, the Palestinian issue is no longer understood solely as a traditional political struggle, but rather as a true test of the concepts of international law, the limits of power, and the criteria for protecting civilians in times of war. For this reason, the debate around responsibility, accountability, and the legitimacy of the use of force is intensifying, especially when the scale of the humanitarian cost becomes a central element in global discussions.

Conversely, it remains essential to emphasize that any fair reading of the conflict must acknowledge all victims and reject the targeting of civilians by any party. It must recognize that the cycle of violence only produces more violence and more wars, regardless of the justifications or contexts.

Some writers, including critical voices from within Israeli society itself, argue that reducing the scene to October 7 alone does not explain what is happening. They stress that ignoring the devastating war that followed does not lead to understanding but rather to political and moral blindness. Additionally, separating the present from its historical roots renders any analysis of the conflict incomplete and unable to explain its real implications.

Perhaps the most complex truth in this conflict is that no party can monopolize the narrative of pain, and no single memory can erase all others. In the end, any attempt to reach a different future requires breaking free from the constraints of incomplete lenses and looking at the picture in all its dimensions: what preceded October 7, what followed, and the long history in between that continues to cast its shadow on the present and the future.