Afrasianet - Mohamed Mousa - It can be said that the Palestinian resistance has achieved a strategic victory in the Khaldun sense, as it has not only maintained its existence, but has imposed its conditions on those who possess military and technical superiority, and has turned the field into an instrument of will and control.
According to Ibn Khaldun, nations go through cycles of strength and weakness, starting with fanaticism that generates a spirit of rise and resistance, and ending when the spirit of sacrifice is replaced by a spirit of luxury. For him, civilization is not just urbanization or military superiority, but a system of collective consciousness that preserves the nation's ability to withstand the changes. From this standpoint, the Arab-Israeli conflict, especially the Gaza war of 2023-2025, can be read as a clash between a project that has lost its internal nervousness and another that has regained it through a collective will that believes in the justice of its cause.
In this war, which was the culmination of the contemporary conflict between an advanced military force and a resistance movement with limited resources, Israel thought that it would deliver the final blow that would end the resistance and reshape the regional scene according to its perceptions. However, the events on the ground showed the opposite of expectations, as the resistance quickly regained the initiative and imposed its rhythm on the course of the battle, stressing that victory is not measured by the number of planes or tanks, but by the ability of the weaker party to control the events according to its terms.
From the outset, Israel launched an intensive, shock-and-awe-style air campaign, targeting command centers and infrastructure, in an attempt to cause a total paralysis of the resistance's capabilities. However, the resistance units showed rapid adaptation, and continued to engage and carry out precise operations, preventing the enemy from achieving its strategic goals. Instead of the expected decisive airstrikes, Israeli superiority turned into a psychological and political burden, as the Palestinian will proved to be able to withstand and impose its own rules of engagement.
On the ground, the resistance presented a mobile field model, based on small groups that moved quickly, carried out tight ambushes, and benefited from improvised explosive devices, snipers, and rapid raid fire. The goal was not just to defend specific positions, but to transform the environment of Gaza itself into a dynamic network of changing threats, forcing the IDF to recalculate at every moment. In this way, the resistance moved from a traditional defense position to a position of imposition, forcing the enemy to fight the war on its own terms, not on its own terms. Rules.
Over time, it became clear that the resistance was not only resilient, but able to manage the battle strategically. The field itself became a tool of strength, as the resistance could control the pace of the fighting, determining where, when, and how the engagement took place. This flexibility turned Israel's numerical and technical superiority into a weakness, and forced the Israeli leadership to deal with a reality on the ground that was very different from its expectations, where size or technology alone no longer had the power to assert control.
Military science relies on three criteria to determine victory: breaking the will to fight the opponent, controlling the territory, and destroying the enemy's basic capabilities. By applying these criteria, we find that the will of the resistance has not been broken, but has become more solid, and that control of the ground has remained volatile in favor of the Palestinians in most axes, while their field capabilities have remained flexible and effective throughout the days of the clashes. On the other hand, the Israeli home front has shown sharp cracks, with political and social divisions, which indicates the shaking of Israeli society's trust in its institutions and their ability to provide Security and stability.
Strategic victory does not show its immediate results, but rather manifests itself in the medium and long term, whether in the enemy's consciousness or at the regional and international levels. Gaza was defeated not only because it remained steadfast, but also because it succeeded in imposing its conditions in the war, turning the battle into a political, moral, and practical test for the entire world. At the regional level, the status of the axis of resistance as an influential strategic actor has increased, while some Western countries have begun to reconsider their policies under the pressure of humanitarian and political transformations. Internationally, Israel's image has changed From a victim state to an aggressive force, which has contributed to undermining its moral legitimacy in the eyes of world public opinion.
Internally, Israel has not experienced this phase of challenges in years. Political divisions have deepened, the home front has been shaken by losses and fear, and the waves of reverse immigration have exposed the fragility of the sense of security that had underpinned the Zionist project. In contrast, the Palestinians have proven that the ability to impose conditions on the ground, even with limited resources, is the real tool of power, and that resilience and tactical creativity are capable of tipping the balance of power.
In this sense, it can be said that the Palestinian resistance has achieved a strategic victory in the Khalduni sense, as it has not only maintained its existence, but has imposed its conditions on those who possess military and technical superiority, and has turned the field into an instrument of will and control. When the weaker side imposes the rhythm of the battle and makes the enemy react instead of leading, the real victory is achieved and victory is redefined in its historical and strategic sense.
Israel fought the Gaza war to prove its decisiveness, but it emerged from it facing existential questions about its future and its ability to survive in an environment that rejects it. Gaza, on the other hand, emerged burdened with wounds, but it is more entrenched in Arab and international consciousness, and it proved that the real victory is not in weapons alone, but in the ability to impose conditions and turn the will into a historic act. Here is the truth of Ibn Khaldun's words: "The vanquished is fond of following the example of the majority, so that if the nervousness of the victor is weakened, his authority is gone." Today, despite the blockade and destruction, Gaza has proven that whoever rules the field of his own free will holds the key to the future.