Published by the Workers’ Communist Party of France (PCOF), Oct. 8, 2023. Translated from French.

On Saturday, October 7, Hamas launched an unprecedented surprise military offensive in Israel by land, air, and sea, firing over 5000 rockets from the Gaza Strip. Hundreds of its fighters infiltrated Israeli territory, where they reportedly captured around a hundred civilians and military personnel. The fighting resulted in nearly 600 deaths and a thousand injuries on the Israeli side.

Once the initial shock subsided, the Israeli response was swift: indiscriminate and intense bombardments of the Gaza Strip, resulting in several hundred deaths and thousands of people left homeless. Electricity was cut off, placing hospitals under severe strain and making life extremely difficult for the entire population. In the occupied West Bank, demonstrations in support of the resistance were violently suppressed by the Israeli army, leading to several deaths and over a hundred injuries. The far-right Israeli government is preparing a more extensive retaliation, as Netanyahu openly stated: “Hamas will pay an unprecedented price for its ‘war.'”

All Western countries, with the United States and the European Union at the forefront, have jointly condemned the “terrorist attacks” by Hamas and expressed their “unwavering” support for Israel, reaffirming the “right to self-defense” through all means for the Zionist state. This, even as Israel has been violating UN resolutions for over 70 years, continuing to occupy Palestinian territories and East Jerusalem, suppressing all resistance to its colonization policy, keeping more than 5000 Palestinians in prison, including over 1000 administrative detainees (i.e., without trial and without access to the case file), and waging more than 5 deadly wars against Gaza, which has been under blockade for 16 years.

In the face of Israel’s policy of terror, colonization, and apartheid against the Palestinian people and the denial of their national rights, we reaffirm our support for the resistance in all its forms, including armed resistance, of the Palestinian people and their right to fight against an over-equipped and over-trained army.

\We denounce the unconditional support of the French state for Israel’s policy of colonization and oppression of the Palestinian people and demand that it cease its security and military cooperation with the Zionist state.

We call for participation in solidarity mobilizations with the Palestinian people everywhere, to denounce the Israeli terror inflicted on the entire Palestinian population and the support provided by governments for Israel’s policy of repression and apartheid.

Paris, October 8, 2023

Workers’ Communist Party of France

Categories: International, Israel, Palestine, Zionism