The Gaza Catastrophe

The Genocide in World-Historical Perspective

Gilbert Achcar

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English

Saqi Books
01 October 2025

History; Middle Eastern history

The destruction that has been rained on Gaza has been seen and accepted by many commentators as a vengeful overreaction to the reckless Hamas-led attack on 7 October 2023. As if the annihilation has come about, perhaps even by accident. This book argues that the new catastrophe that has befallen the Palestinian people is in fact the culmination of a decades-long pattern that runs parallel with Israel's inexorable shift to the Right.

The lethal and destructive consequences of the Gaza catastrophe are far greater than the Nakba of 1948. The significance of a war waged by an advanced military-industrial state

with full US participation and open support from the West

irredeemably exposes the double standard intrinsic to the Atlanticist pretence of a liberal 'rules-based international order'.

In this incisive analysis, renowned political scientist Gilbert Achcar explores the dynamics of a complex historical process that culminated in the war on Gaza and in wider conflict in the Middle East. Achcar offers critical insights on the genocide's regional and international consequences, as well as radical critiques of Zionism, Hamas and other state and non-state actors.

This vital volume places the Gaza catastrophe in its wider geopolitical and historical context. It is essential to understanding the root causes of the violence destabilising the entire region and the wider world, as well as the conditions required to bring it to an end.

'Meticulous...the deepest and most thorough account that examines this genocide.'

Khaled Hroub, author of Hamas: A Beginner's Guide

'Broad yet focused...[Achcar] offers possible paths for a positive change that somewhat mitigates the bleak future.'

Amira Hass, Haaretz

By: Gilbert Achcar
Imprint: Saqi Books
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm, Spine: 30mm
Weight: 300g
ISBN: 9781849250917
ISBN 10: 184925091X
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 01 October 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Gilbert Achcar is Emeritus Professor of Development Studies and International Relations at SOAS, University of London. His many books have been published in more than twenty languages.

Reviews for The Gaza Catastrophe: The Genocide in World-Historical Perspective

'Written in a lively, often withering style, [Achcar] provid[es] a left-wing materialist perspective that has faded in prominence in the Arab world in recent times.' * The Irish Times * ‘Broad yet focused, Achcar’s collection of insightful essays points at the historical and political tracks that have enabled Israel's ongoing genocide of the Palestinians in Gaza. Showing the linkage between the West’s support of Israel’s atrocious onslaught and the banalisation of the global Far Right, Achcar does not only analyse the tragedy and interpret it, he also offers possible paths for a positive change that somewhat mitigates the bleak future that he foresees.’ -- Amira Hass, Haaretz correspondent for the 1967 occupied territory and author of Drinking the Sea at Gaza ‘A fresh and timely analysis of the Gaza genocide from multiple perspectives, this book offers a meticulous exploration of the meaning, connotation, background and colonial linkages that have converged in this narrow strip of land. The Gaza Catastrophe is the deepest and most thorough account that examines this genocide.’ -- Khaled Hroub, author of Hamas: A Beginner's Guide