Between Despair and Devastation

The author traces Gaza's centrality to world politics and the history and never-ending tragedy of this troubled territory

- PARUL CHANDRA

To the memory of the thousands anonymous Who died in Gaza before their time Though they had a time to live En famille and in peace This dedication of the book to the people of Gaza by its author, French historian Jean-Pierre Filiu, sets the tone for a work that traces the history and indeed the never-ending tragedy of this troubled territory, most recently in the news after the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel was called off by Netanyahu. On 18 March 2025, Israel launched surprise airstrikes on Gaza, breaking the ceasefire. Hours later, Netanyahu declared that Israel has "resumed combat in full force" against Hamas in Gaza, with the wave of airstrikes being "just the beginning".

With the Israel-Hamas ceasefire having collapsed last month and the armed conflict raging anew, it appears unlikely that peace will return to the region anytime soon given the fraught environment and a virtually unbridgeable trust deficit that exists between the two sides. A fresh military campaign by Israel, with Hamas retaliating, has brought fresh turmoil and uncertainty to the region.

It's in the backdrop of this ongoing turmoil that this formidable work by Filiu, a professor of Middle East studies at the Sciences Po, Paris, assumes even greater salience.