Triumph or catastrophe? Hamas and Fatah clash over meaning of Oct 7 for Palestinians

One year after one of the greatest catastrophes in Israel’s modern history, Palestinian society continues to grapple with its implications, though polls show that most Palestinians view the Hamas invasion and terror attack on southern Israel as a positive event.

On the anniversary of Oct. 7, representatives of the two most important Palestinian factions, Hamas and Fatah, the dominant party in the Palestinian Authority (PA), once again publicly clashed over the meaning of the invasion for Palestinian society.

Hamas, the terror group that led the large-scale assault and massacre, praised the attack it dubbed “Al-Aqsa Flood” as a “historic waypoint in our struggle and a natural response to the Zionist plan aimed at eliminating the Palestinian problem.”

In its official statement, Hamas claimed that Israel’s plans “were shattered in the face of the firm stand of the Palestinian people.”

The statement also claimed that Hamas leadership has consistently responded positively to ceasefire discussions, insisting on a permanent truce and the complete withdrawal of IDF soldiers as part of any hostage deal.

It also accused the United States of being a partner in Israel’s “aggression” and said it bears full responsibility for it.

Meanwhile, the leader of the Hamas terrorist organization outside of Gaza, Khaled Meshaal, said the invasion had “achieved more in one year than was achieved in many years through revolutions, intifadas, resistance and wars of armies.”

He also praised Israel's statement that "they are fighting for their existence." Meshaal added that the "Al-Aqsa Flood" had shaken "Israel's security, destroyed its spirit, caused the public in Israel to lose its self-confidence," and claimed that many Israelis now wanted to leave the country.

Representatives of Fatah and the PA blasted Hamas while emphasizing the suffering caused to Palestinians by the Oct. 7 invasion and attack.

Mahmoud al-Habash, an advisor to PA President Mahmoud Abbas, responded to Meshaal’s comments, saying that “real victory” would be “the protection of the Palestinian people, that the people remain in their land.”

“The only voice we want to listen to now is the voice of the deprived residents of the Gaza Strip who demand an end to the aggression. Free us from all these empty slogans – these slogans mean nothing and will not bring anything! We don't want to be allies of people who are willing to wage war until the death of the last Palestinian.” Abbas said.

A senior Fatah official, Munir al-Jaghoub, told Palestinian “Alam” radio that the residents of Gaza were not happy about Oct. 7, because it “harmed their daily civilian lives in schools, health, education, life in general, food, drinking, sleep.”

The residents of Gaza are against the invasion because they are paying the price “with their flesh and blood,” he stated.

The PA never officially condemned Hamas for the attack on Oct. 7, while Fatah officials have praised and defended the attack, but also criticized Hamas for the adverse effects on the population in Gaza.

The two hostile factions recently signed a unity agreement as part of an effort to reunite and jointly administer the Gaza Strip after the war.