Introduction: Gaza as Mirror
Two years ago, in December 2023, I published an essay HERE, entitled “Gaza: Ground Zero of a Great Awakening.”
Now, in the genocidal aftermath of 7 October 2023, that essay reads as a prophecy.
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Two years on from October 2023, we can see it clearly: the long-promised Awakening did not rise from transcendence, ayahuasca or eclipses, connected as these things are, but from the Holy Land itself.
From the raw, bloodied suffering and sadism underpinning Gaza’s genocide, right from under the rubble. An apocalyptic mirror reflecting what humanity has created, endured, ignored ... and is now called and mobilised to transform.”
“
Two years on from October 2023, we can see it clearly: the long-promised Awakening did not rise from transcendence, ayahuasca or eclipses, connected as these things are, but from the Holy Land itself.
From the raw, bloodied suffering and sadism underpinning Gaza’s genocide, right from under the rubble. An apocalyptic mirror reflecting what humanity has created, endured, ignored ... and is now called and mobilised to transform.”
Gaza has become a ground-zero mirror and Awakening, showing us not just what harms others, but the opportunism, denial, and complicity we enable in ourselves and in our systems.
That mirror reveals the chains, exploitation and hypocrisy of empire, shadow material, the escalating polycrisis of our era, the desecration of the Feminine, the violence visited on children and the ecological devastation that accompanies mechanised, AI-enabled warfare. It asks us: will we remain passive witnesses, or will we refuse complicity and dismantle empire?
The Call and Its Response
October 2023 was not just another violent day on planet Earth...
It was also a day of unbearable loss: for Israelis and foreigners horrifically struck in the morning by Hamas and the Israeli government (see below), and for Palestinians whose collective punishment and genocide began by nightfall. A single day that shattered decades-long illusion, masks, complicity and violence.
Two years on, we can see it more clearly...
As people connected the dots between Gaza and global crisis, amongst perpetrators, media, empire, colonialism, racism, climate, AI, weapons manufacturers, spiritual disconnection, surveillance and more ... the Awakening spread beyond borders.
It became a summons and a Shift that millions answered in solidarity to take on the dominator paradigm.
It became deep, personal, collective, existential, visceral, spiritual, and human .... about the Web of Life itself.
7 October 2023: A Terrible Day, and a Revelation
That day was savage, terrifying and tragic, but what dawned as brutal historical context stretching back to the late 19thC, as well as on the day itself ....was revealing.
In the gruelling 2 years that have followed, evidence was reported in Haaretz, the Times of Israel, PBS, NYT and others that falsifies the mainstream narrative of 7 Oct, and that enabled the genocide to progress with full Western support. Underscoring the dots that were being connected.
1. Israeli Intelligence Knew of Hamas’s Plans
The New York Times reported that Israeli military intelligence had access to a 40-page document detailing Hamas's plans for a large-scale attack, codenamed "Jericho Wall." This document was reportedly obtained over a year before the attack but was not acted upon. (The Times of Israel)
The Guardian highlighted that despite receiving this intelligence, Israeli officials believed Hamas had been deterred by economic incentives and past conflicts, leading to a lack of preparedness. (The Guardian)
2. Alerts and Warnings Went Unheeded
The Times of Israel reported that Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) officials ignored alerts of unusual aerial activity and other warning signs in the hours before the attack. Despite receiving reports of Hamas's preparations, the military failed to act promptly. (The Times of Israel)
PBS News Hour also covered this issue, noting that Israeli officials repeatedly dismissed warning signs before the attack, raising questions about the effectiveness of their intelligence assessments. (PBS)
3. Orders to cancel border patrols
Israeli soldier Shalom Shitrit testified before a Knesset committee that on 7 October 2023, his unit was instructed to halt all Gaza border patrols from 5:20 am - to 9:00 am, just over an hour before the Hamas attack began. Shitrit described the order as unusual and unexplained, noting it deviated from standard procedures. This testimony adds to evidence suggesting foreknowledge of the attack by high-level Israeli officials, and that allowed it to proceed undefended. (The Canary, The Cradle, video testimony on YouTube)
4. Exaggerated Atrocity Narratives Propagated
Haaretz reported that while Hamas committed documented atrocities on October 7, some extreme claims, such as beheaded babies and mass rape, were not supported by convincing evidence. The UN Commission of Inquiry did not find evidence of systematic, large-scale sexual violence by Hamas on that day. (Haaretz)
PBS News Hour further explored how debunked accounts of sexual violence fueled a global dispute over the Israel-Hamas war, highlighting the spread of misinformation and its impact on public perception. (PBS)
5. The Invocation of the “Hannibal Directive”
Haaretz reported that the IDF implemented the Hannibal Directive on October 7 to prevent Hamas from taking soldiers captive. This directive reportedly led to the use of lethal force, even at the risk of harming Israeli civilians, to prevent kidnappings. (Haaretz)
Former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant reported this on Israel's Channel 12. (Channel 12)
The Guardian also covered this issue, noting that the invocation of the Hannibal Directive may have risked civilian lives in the process of preventing soldier kidnappings. We do not know the percentage of Israelis and foreigners killed by the Israeli government. (The Guardian)
Taken together, these revelations suggest that 7 October was not merely a day of terror, but was also a possibly anticipated platform for propaganda and narrative control for systemic escalation to manufacture consent for war.
Indeed, the Western world repeated the atrocity propaganda 24/7, even when it had been debunked.
On that day, the gates of hell were opened within the context of a Nakba that had never ended, not only for revenge, messianic and neocolonial opportunism, and the collective punishment of Gaza by Israel and its backers....but also for the global conscience.
The Original Essay: Gaza as Ground Zero
If you haven’t yet, I invite you to read "Gaza: Ground Zero of a Great Awakening" (Dec 2023) HERE.
In it, I explored:
Not Turning Away
A Great Awakening Emerging from the Holy Land
The Feminine: Her Children & the Earth Under Siege
The Hope in Solidarity
A New Story We Are Called to Write
That essay remains deeply alive....a seed that is now sprouting across human hearts and collective resistance.
Teachings to Guide Our Turning
I've been writing continually and consulting since that day, as always, and more recently, creating and posting videos across my website, Substack, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.
To continue guiding and supporting this Awakening this week, I am releasing short video-teachings to translate witness into embodied response to further guide this Awakening / Turning:
Sacred Interruption: Refusing to turn away from atrocity and injustice. (HERE)
The Turning: From Empire’s Spell to Sacred Rebellion: A pathway from witnessing to courageous, embodied action. (HERE)
The Moral Test of Our Time: On complicity, accountability and refusal. (Thursday)
Edge of Collapse: Seeing systemic unraveling as opportunity, not simply threat. (Friday)
Each offering helps you anchor into clarity, courage, and resistance.
Many claim awakening, yet settle into comfort, distraction or escapism ...even as the world cries out.
Gaza stripped away the mask: The Great Awakening did not come from transcendence, seminars, or eclipses. It emerged from life itself: raw, bloody, human, undeniable.
Gaza, the mirror and Great Awakener at Ground Zero, asks:
Will we turn away, or will we stand—fully human and fully awake—in this Great Awakening?
Join the Movement
Share this essay with those seeking to awaken. Those who refuse complicity.
(c) Fatima Bacot. All rights reserved.