‘‘Beyond Humanitarianism: Social and Political Perspectives from Gaza and the West Bank”, 28 April, 15-18, Sala Altana at Palazzo Strozzi, Florence.

Donatella Della Porta, SNS

Francesco Saverio Leopardi, Università di Padova

Karim Abualroos, Independent researcher

Federica Stagni, SNS

“Internal division and political paralysis: a focus on Gaza”,

29 April, 16-18, School on Transnational governance, Palazzo Buontalenti, Via Cavour 65, Florence.

Virginia Fiume: Visiting Fellow, School of Transnational Governance – EUI

Abdalhadi Alijla, Arab Reform Initiative

Karim Abualroos, ndependent researcher

Ghadir AbuMiddain: PhD Candidate, Scuola Normale Superiore.

For over a year and a half, the people of Gaza have endured a devastating war. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has indicated that the situation may amount to genocide, and Amnesty International has already described it as such. While international media has focused largely on the humanitarian crisis, this event aims to highlight the political conditions shaping life in Gaza and across Palestine. In March 2025, protests erupted throughout the Gaza Strip, especially in the north. Demonstrators called for an end to the war, rejected forced displacement, and demanded meaningful action from Gaza’s de facto authorities. As these protests unfold amidst conditions of plausible genocide, prolonged military occupation, and settler colonialism, this two-day roundtable invites participants to hear directly from Palestinian voices. The discussion will explore internal political and social dynamics within Palestinian society, and the regional and international forces that shape and constrain them. This analysis is grounded in over 75 years of occupation and political and geographic fragmentation in Palestine. The goal of this event is to offer critical tools and perspectives to deconstruct dominant narratives in both European and Arab media—narratives that often obscure, depoliticise, or even weaponise the Palestinian struggle for self-determination.