Vol. 1 No. 1 (2024): The Longest Year of Palestine: 2024

Following the Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, carried out under the leadership of Hamas against Israel on October 7, 2023, Israel’s attacks against Palestinians escalated into a multidimensional campaign reaching the scale of genocide. Sustained with the support of Western states, this occupation and mass violence turned the year 2024 into an indescribable catastrophe, particularly for Gaza. Just as the nineteenth century is remembered as the “longest century” for the Ottoman Empire, the period beginning on October 7, 2023, stands as a candidate for the “longest year” for Palestine.

According to official records, the death toll exceeded 50,000, while estimates suggest it may approach 200,000. Nearly the entire population of 2.4 million was displaced multiple times; areas designated as “safe zones” were repeatedly bombed despite the known presence of civilians; and the humanitarian catastrophe deepened through widespread hunger and the collapse of healthcare systems. This tragedy was not confined to Gaza alone; repression and violence continued intensively in the West Bank. Moreover, Israel’s aggression and expansionism extended to fragile points in the region, including Lebanon and Syria, further exacerbating regional instability. However, the hardships experienced by Palestinians did not remain geographically confined. In Western countries such as the United States, Germany, and France, as well as in certain Arab states including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, those expressing support for Palestine faced repression and censorship. Therefore, the events following October 7 were not merely local developments affecting Palestine; they profoundly shaped the Middle East and global politics, marking a critical turning point in the modern history of the region.

This yearbook is a comprehensive study that examines 2024—recorded as Palestine’s “longest year”—from multiple dimensions, while tracing its origins back to October 7, 2023. It analyzes the Palestine policies of major actors such as Iran, Russia, China, the United States, Israel, and Türkiye, while also presenting a broader panorama of the year through themes including art, media, economy, boycott movements, and settler policies.

This volume aims, on the one hand, to provide contemporary readers with a detailed reference on the events of 2024, and on the other, to serve as a historical record by documenting the realities that have unfolded.

It is our hope that, when writing the next yearbook, we will not recount oppression and isolation, but rather the establishment of a free, just, and socially cohesive independent State of Palestine, with Jerusalem as its capital. While we hope that this book proves useful, we humbly acknowledge that any shortcomings or errors within it are our own and ask for the reader’s understanding.

We sincerely wish all our readers an engaging and meaningful reading experience.

Mehmet RAKIPOĞLU
Hamdullah BAYCAR