Gaza: The Politics of Future in the Aftermath of Genocide

Over the past two years (2023–2025), Gaza has experienced unprecedented destruction due to Israel’s genocidal war on Palestinians and Palestinian life in Gaza that began on October 7, 2023, following a Hamas-led attack on Israel. The scale and intensity of violence have led to catastrophic humanitarian, infrastructural, and societal collapse across the Gaza Strip. In this panel we aim to discuss not only the outcomes of such spatiocide, but also how The Politics of Future in the aftermath of genocide in Gaza could be imagined.

17:00-17:10 Opening

Haim Yacobi | Co-PI The Shared Homeland Paradigm DPU, UCL

Chair: Heba Sabboubeh

17:10-17:30 Israel’s War in Gaza and the Question of Genocide

Omer Bartov | Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Brown University

This presentation will examine the deep and immediate roots of the October 7th attack and massacre by Hamas, Israel's genocidal response, and possible future scenarios of the current calamity. Bartov will also discuss the evolution of Zionism from a movement of liberation and emancipation into a state ideology of ethnonationalism, expansionism, militarism, and growing racism, and address how the events in Gaza and the West Bank are transforming the nature of the state of Israel.

17:30-17:50 Gaza’s day after - challenges and opportunities

Omar Shaban | Founder and director of Palthink for Strategic Studies, a Gaza based thinktank

The war ended in Gaza but another type of war and challenges are ahead of all of us. This presentation will focus on the humanitarian crisis and immediate needs including education, housing and the reconstruction of Gaza. Throughout the presentation I will discuss the challenges of governance vis a vis Gaza’s reconstruction that will greatly depend on the security situation and who eventually rules postwar Gaza, as the new government will play a leading role in reconstruction.

17:50-18:10 From Destruction to Determination: Reconstructing Gaza, Reclaiming Palestine

Rami Nasrallah | Honorary Associate Professor, DPU, UCL

This presentation draws on the Future of Palestine Scenarios developed by the International Peace and Cooperation Center and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in 2024-2025, to explore possible trajectories for Palestine and examine whether Gaza’s reconstruction can serve as a transformative vehicle for Palestinian statehood, conflict resolution, and a new regional order. The scenarios outline divergent

pathways shaping Palestinian society, governance, and national identity by 2035—ranging from a Free Prosperous Palestine grounded in sovereignty, democracy, and inclusive reconstruction, to a fragmented Non-State of Palestine, a Besieged Palestine trapped in humanitarian collapse, and an Uprooted Palestine marked by systemic displacement.

Discussants:

Dena Qaddumi | Visiting Fellow, LSE Middle East Centre

Heba Sabboubeh | Programme Director MSc Civil Infrastructure Engineering, Aston University

Image credit: Jaber Jehad Badwan