•  Palestinians fighting against 'ruthless killing machine,' says Escobar

ISTANBUL 

Despite one year having passed since the start of Israel's genocidal war in Gaza, which has claimed almost 42,000 lives, people still fail to understand how "profoundly unsettling and horrifying" the war is, according to an expert.

Speaking to Anadolu on the sidelines of a conference in Istanbul, Türkiye titled "Palestine: The Linchpin of Civilization Renaissance,” Brazilian independent journalist and geopolitical analyst Pepe Escobar said "the world cannot possibly grasp what's happening in Gaza."

"It defies anything that we could expect happening in the 21st century. So you have literally the genocide of all the inhabitants of Gaza live on the smartphones of everybody in the world," he said.

He also blamed the media in the West, which "is controlled by the usual suspects.”

"You have to go on the net. You have to know where to find it,” he said, referring to alternative sources of news which provide a better picture of what’s happening.

“It's still compared to this monopoly of the mainstream media. It's still not as huge as it should be. But the problem is that everyone is a spectator," he said.

Regarding the role of the international community and Arab nations in preventing the war on Gaza, he criticized these countries and institutions, asserting that Arab nations have failed to provide the necessary leadership to halt the war.

"And of course, the UN Security Council is a joke. We know everybody knows that the UN Security Council basically is dead and buried. And we have to start all over again.

"Gaza and Palestine already won the battle for public opinion globally. But what does that get you in practical terms? Nothing, unfortunately," he added.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.

Palestinians fighting against 'ruthless killing machine'

One year after Israel launched its genocidal war against Gaza and displaced 1.9 million people, Gaza is not "broken," said Escobar, adding the Palestinian resistance is still "strong."

"They tried everything. The problem is you're fighting (against) a ruthless killing machine. So for them, the only way they can spin victory is that they destroy the whole of Gaza. And they expel the people who live in Gaza."

"This is not going to happen. So that's why they are getting more and more desperate by the minute. And they expanded the genocide to allow a budding mini genocide to Lebanon. And they're going to try to make that area between the border and the Litani River a sort of Gaza. 2.0," he said.

Regarding Israel's expansion of the war by bombing Lebanon and threatening Iran, Escobar said that Israel technically has no borders and seeks to establish new ones.

"In their minds, they are completely consumed by a lunatic, eschatological cult," he said, adding that Israel believes the border extends from the Nile to the Euphrates or the Tigris.

"It's completely nuts. But they actually believe in that, so they'll continue expanding everywhere."

Israel has been conducting relentless airstrikes since Sept. 23 on what it claims to be Hezbollah targets across Lebanon.

Due to the Israeli attacks on Lebanon, at least 2,036 people have since been killed, over 9,500 injured and 1.2 million others displaced, according to Lebanese authorities.

Despite international warnings that the Middle East is on the brink of a regional war amid Israel’s relentless attacks on Gaza and Lebanon, Tel Aviv expanded the conflict by launching a ground invasion into southern Lebanon on Oct. 1.