Al-Aqsa Flood Was a Cry for Freedom Against 75 Years of Occupation

Founder Qaisar Tarad stated: “The events of October 7, led by Palestinian resistance, were the result of 75 years of brutal Israeli occupation across historic Palestine—preceded by 31 years of British colonial rule that paved the way for Zionist militias and the disarmament of Palestinians.”
The statement described October 7 as a cry for freedom—not only for the people of Gaza and the West Bank, but also for thousands of innocent men, women, and children languishing in Israeli prisons without charge or trial.
“This cry was met with indiscriminate fire and the implementation of the Hannibal Protocol, escalating death and destruction. Backed by the United States and its allies, Israel launched a systematic campaign of annihilation, targeting hospitals, universities, schools, mosques, churches, and civilian infrastructure. Journalists, academics, medical staff, and aid workers were killed en masse.”
The association alleged that Israel had prior intelligence about the attack and played a role in amplifying its toll to justify expansionist aggression—not only in Palestine, but also in Lebanon, Syria, Iran, and other nations.
Endurance Amid Siege
Despite the devastation, the people of Gaza have shown remarkable resilience. The statement praised the organized resistance for surviving two years of siege and starvation while confronting Israel’s war machine—armed and funded by the U.S., U.K., Germany, France, and other complicit powers.
Casualties of War
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 67,160 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the Israeli offensive, including 19,424 children (30%), 22% women, and 48% men. An additional 168,162 have been injured, and 460 have died from malnutrition. Thousands more are believed to be buried under rubble.
On the Israeli side, fewer than 1,200 were killed on October 7, many of them active military personnel. A significant number reportedly died due to friendly fire under the Hannibal Protocol. Initial Israeli claims of atrocities, including infant beheadings, were never substantiated and quietly faded.
Since then, 466 additional Israeli soldiers have died in combat. Palestinian casualties now exceed Israeli losses by more than 75-fold.
Western Leaders and Public Sentiment
The statement criticized Western leaders—including Anthony Albanese (Australia), Keir Starmer (UK), and Donald Trump (USA)—for condemning Hamas, honoring Israeli victims, and praising Trump’s Gaza plan, while ignoring the occupation, siege, and genocide.
“These statements do not reflect the will of their people, who have repeatedly protested against Israel’s war crimes. Such rhetoric amounts to complicity, ignoring the suffering of tens of thousands of children, the bombing of hospitals, the displacement of two million people, and the targeted killing of journalists, academics, and doctors.”
In contrast, principled leaders such as Michael Martin (Ireland), Pedro Sánchez (Spain), Gustavo Petro (Colombia), Mohammad Javad Zarif (Iran), Anwar Ibrahim (Malaysia), and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (Turkey) have acknowledged Palestinian suffering, challenged Israeli narratives, and called for ceasefire, accountability, and justice.
The statement concluded: “This is no longer a ‘conflict’ or ‘war’—it is a genocide against a besieged population and a settler-colonial expansion that has spread suffering across the region.”