How Sinwar accelerated the redefinition of world order
Two years of operation Al Aqsa Flood:
When Yahya Sinwar initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on 7 October 2023, he set in motion a chain of events that would fundamentally reshape the global geopolitical landscape. What began as a defensive action to protect Masjid Al-Aqsa from Israeli intrusion has evolved into a transformative moment in modern history—one that has exposed the contradictions of the international order and catalysed unprecedented shifts in regional and global power dynamics.
October 7 cannot be viewed in isolation. The action emerged from decades of Palestinian suffering under occupation—the expanding settlements, the siege of Gaza, the repeated attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the systematic dispossession of Palestinian land and rights. For years, Palestinians endured these violations while the ‘international community’ offered performative diplomacy and token gestures of support. The operation was not an aberration but a culmination of accumulated grievances against an entrenched system of oppression and terror.
The Israeli occupation’s repeated incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque— Islam’s third holiest site—served as a particularly inflammatory catalyst. These intrusions, coupled with the expansion of settlements in occupied territories and the severe blockade of Gaza, created conditions where resistance became inevitable. What Sinwar recognized was that the status quo had become untenable, and that meaningful change would require dramatic action to break through international indifference.
The aftermath of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood revealed fractures in the global system that had long been papered over. The international community’s response—or rather, its selective response—laid bare the hypocrisy that has characterised Western-dominated global governance. While certain conflicts receive immediate condemnation and intervention, the Palestinian cause has been met with decades of inaction despite clear violations of international law.
The operation forced nations to take positions they had long avoided. The Global South, in particular, found its voice in unprecedented ways. Countries that had maintained diplomatic silence began speaking openly about Palestinian rights and self-determination. The contrast between the swift mobilisation of support for some conflicts and the prolonged indifference to Palestinian suffering became impossible to ignore. This disparity has fundamentally damaged the credibility of institutions claiming to uphold universal human rights and international law.
Perhaps most dramatically, these geopolitical shifts contributed to the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria on 8 December 2024. For over fifty years, Syria had been governed by a dynasty that many viewed as a colonial remnant—a regime that brutalized its own people while claiming to champion Arab resistance. The fall of Assad represented not merely a change in government but the end of an era of authoritarian control propped up by external powers.
The conflict also forced regional actors into positions they had carefully avoided. Iran, which had long supported Palestinian resistance rhetorically while managing its own strategic interests, found itself drawn into direct confrontation. The calculations that had governed regional relations for decades—balancing support for Palestinian rights against pragmatic state interests—became untenable.
Similarly, Arab nations that had pursued normalisation with Israel found their positions increasingly difficult to defend domestically. Public opinion in Arab countries has consistently supported Palestinian rights, creating pressure on governments that had prioritized economic and security cooperation with Israel over solidarity with Palestinians. The situation exposed the gap between official policy and popular sentiment, forcing governments to reconsider approaches that had become politically costly.
Saudi Arabia, which had been in advanced stages of negotiating normalisation with Israel under U.S. mediation, publicly suspended all talks. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who had been portrayed as ready to break with decades of Saudi policy, was compelled to reaffirm that normalisation could only proceed after the establishment of a Palestinian state—effectively returning to pre-2020 positions. The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, having already formalised relations through the Abraham Accords, found themselves in an awkward position. While diplomatic ties remained technically intact, the momentum of cooperation slowed dramatically. Public ceremonies were canceled, trade delegations postponed, and official rhetoric cooled considerably. What had been celebrated as a bold new era became a liability requiring careful management. The enthusiasm that characterized 2020-2023 evaporated, replaced by cautious distance.
Even more significantly, the operation effectively killed prospects for further normalisation in the near term. Countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, and others that had been subjects of quiet diplomatic overtures categorically rejected any movement toward recognition of Israel. The geopolitical calculus that had made normalisation seem inevitable—shared concerns about Iran, opportunities for economic cooperation, American pressure—was overwhelmed by the moral and political imperative of solidarity with Palestine.
Before October 2023, Palestine suffered in relative isolation. Arab states offered diplomatic statements and humanitarian assistance, but substantive support remained limited. The Abraham Accords had suggested a future where Palestinian concerns would be sidelined in favor of regional business interests, where Arab capitals would prioritise their own strategic interests over Palestinian self-determination. Operation Al-Aqsa Flood shattered that trajectory entirely, making Palestinian rights central to regional politics once again and rendering normalization with Israel politically impossible for the foreseeable future.
Beyond the Middle East, the operation accelerated the Global South’s challenge to Western hegemony. Nations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America increasingly questioned an international system that applies rules selectively. The disparity in responses to different conflicts has fueled demands for reform of international institutions, from the United Nations Security Council to the International Criminal Court.
This awakening represents a fundamental shift in global power dynamics. The post-World War II order, dominated by Western powers, is giving way to a more multipolar world where emerging powers assert their interests and values. Palestine has become a litmus test for this new order—a measure of whether international law applies universally or remains a tool of powerful states.
Perhaps the most significant impact of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood has been its exposure of the selective application of international norms. The contrast between responses to different conflicts has been stark and undeniable. Military aid continues to flow despite documented violations of humanitarian law, while sanctions and condemnations are reserved for others. This double standard has irreparably damaged the credibility of claims about a “rules-based international order.”
The operation has forced a global reckoning with these contradictions. Civil society movements worldwide have mobilised in unprecedented numbers, demanding that their governments align policy with principle. Universities, cultural institutions, and public spaces have become sites of intense debate about complicity and responsibility. The question of Palestine has evolved from a regional concern into a global ethical issue that transcends traditional geopolitical alignments.
Yahya Sinwar’s Operation Al-Aqsa Flood did more than initiate a military confrontation—it catalysed a fundamental restructuring of global politics. The fall of the Assad regime, the forced involvement of regional powers, the Global South’s assertion of autonomy, and the exposure of international hypocrisy are all interconnected consequences of this watershed moment.
The world that existed before 7 October 2023, cannot be restored. The comfortable fictions that allowed the Palestinian cause to be marginalised have been destroyed. While the path forward remains contested and uncertain, the operation has ensured that Palestinian rights can no longer be ignored or deferred. The global order that emerges from this period will be shaped by how the international community responds to the challenges this moment has posed to its stated values and principles.
History will record that Operation Al-Aqsa Flood was not merely a military action but a transformative catalyst—one that exposed the fault lines of an unjust order and opened possibilities for a more equitable future. Whether those possibilities are realised depends on the courage of people and nations to confront uncomfortable truths and demand accountability from power.