The psychology of denial: Why the world looks away from Gaza

Observer

28-04-2025

The tragedy of the Palestinian people in Gaza is not only the horror of the genocide they endure, but also the systematic denial of their suffering. A more painful dimension has emerged: an active refusal by many global political forces to see the horror unfolding, to recognise the victims as human beings rather than collateral damage, and to allow their voices to be heard as victims of a terrifying humanitarian catastrophe.
Thus, the erasure in Gaza is twofold: the destruction of bodies, and the destruction of memory.
This massive silence surrounding the atrocities cannot be dismissed as mere indifference. It is the most agonising extension of the crime itself.
Historically, the faces of victims have been selectively acknowledged. The suffering of colonised and marginalised peoples has often been reduced to distant echoes, unworthy of mainstream historical narrative. Today, in Gaza, this pattern repeats: the killings are visible, livestreamed to the world, and yet surrounded by a wall of silence — a silence born not of ignorance but of conscious denial.
In many modern political systems, it is no longer enough to defeat an enemy militarily. One must also strip them of their humanity, transform their death into an administrative footnote about 'security' or 'counterterrorism,' thus reducing human life to a disposable statistic.
Denial here is not an accident; it is a deliberate cultural and institutional practice. Sociologists describe this as 'dehumanisation' - a necessary tool for waging war. Through dehumanisation, mass violence is reframed as a legal procedure or a necessary evil, not as a humanitarian outrage.
This strategy includes even questioning the death toll itself, as if high numbers pose a threat to the dominant narrative. Recall former US president Joe Biden casting doubt on the figures reported by Gaza's Health Ministry, despite these figures being trusted for decades by the UN and international relief agencies.
The US House of Representatives went further in June 2024, passing a measure banning the State Department from citing Gaza's death tolls — a move Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib called 'a systematic attempt to deny genocide.'
The rhetoric escalates horrifyingly in comments like those of Republican Congressman Max Miller, who said that 'Palestine is about to become a parking lot,' and called for war 'without rules of engagement,' dismissing Palestinian civilians as legitimate targets. Congresswoman Michelle Salzman went even further, suggesting openly that all Palestinians should be killed.
Such statements are not accidental slips. They reveal a deep ideological system that sees Palestinians not as a humanitarian cause but as a historical burden to be erased.
Denial, then, is not merely about rejecting facts. It is about reinterpreting the world — turning massacres into acts of self-defence, and stripping victims of the very right to be recognised as human.
Here, Edward Said's insights into 'the new Orientalism' resonate: Palestinians, like other Arabs, are not seen as individuals with rights but as obstacles to Western-defined moral order — obstacles to be neutralised or eliminated.
This denial often explodes into visible anger when those engaged in it are confronted with the stark reality of Gaza's suffering. Watching political figures grow furious or visibly shaken when challenged about the humanitarian catastrophe reveals a profound ethical wound they cannot easily conceal. It is not political debate; it is a defensive reaction to the moral collapse exposed when facts overwhelm carefully crafted narratives.
In Gaza, the ultimate tragedy is not only the death and destruction, but this global collapse of moral sensitivity — where merely recognising victims becomes a provocation, and debates arise over who even qualifies as fully human.
Thus, beyond urgent calls for ceasefire or humanitarian aid, there is a deeper, more vital demand: the shattering of the thick wall of denial. We must restore to the victims of Gaza their most basic right — the right to be seen, heard, and mourned as human beings. Without this, the death toll — whether 50,000 or 10,000 — stands as an indictment of a world that failed to protect its shared humanity.
Asim al Shidi
The writer is Editor-in-Chief of Oman daily newspaper
Translated by Badr al Dhafari
The original version of the article appeared in Oman Arabic daily newspaper on April 27, 2025.