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Khan Eunnis and Deir El-Bala, Ivica Gaza, Palestine- Saqr Maqdad and his family went on their difficult trip back to northern Gaza late on Sunday night, hours before Israel reopen the north for the first time from the early days of his 15-month war against the Palestinian enclave, after a fragile fire termination agreement Hamas.
Leaving behind the bearing for the displacement of Khan Einnis to the south, the 31-year-old, along with his wife, and two daughters, a remark, 5 and two-year-old Rava, walked north along the coastal Al-Rashid road hoping to reach you to reach Beit Hanun, the hometown of the family, in the far north of the besieged territory.
McDad family were among approximately 200,000 Palestinians Who embarked back into the most devastated parts of the Gaza Strip on MondayA dramatic return to areas that many were afraid that Israel would never allow them to re -enter after the war.
When Al Jazeera met them as they passed through a central gas, they had already traveled approximately 20 kilometers (12.4 miles), wearing only a few small bags of clothing.
However, the family was definitely definitely, they would return home.
“We are returning to the place where we grew up, the land that holds our memories,” SaQR said. “Even if it is destroyed, it's still ours.”
This mood, implicitly shared by the thousands of traveling north, is in direct conflict with comments made by the United States President Donald Trump on Saturday, where he suggested the Palestinians in Gaza to be sent to neighboring Jordan and EgyptS
“You're talking about one and a half people and we just clean the whole thing and say,” You know, everything is, “Trump said.
While Trump said this move could be a temporary measure, his comments caused an immediate reaction, with critics accusing him of advocating a mass displacement, especially in the light of the aspiration of the Israeli far -right pursuit of illegal Israeli settlements in Gaza.
“Trump's talking about moving us is pure fantasy,” SaQR laughed. “Do you think that after everything we have endured, we will just leave? This is our home and we remain. “
He stressed that his family's trip to Bate Hanun is more than just returning home.
“This is a message to the occupation and its supporters: we will not abandon our land. We will stay here, regardless of the price. “
Throughout the gas, the Palestinians rejected Trump's proposal, considering it as an expansion of efforts to “eradicate from their land,” SAQR added.
“No political scheme, however powerful, can change that,” he explained.
“Every step we took back north was a step against the displacement,” he said. “This is our land. We are born here and will die here. “
Unlocked
In the southern Gazi Eunice Gazi, 76-year-old Abu Suleiman Zavaraa quietly owns her own form of resistance. Its farm, once littered with olive and citrus trees, was destroyed during a monthly Israeli military operation. Abu Suleiman has spent the last few months restoring the land.
“I cleared seven dunams (7000 square meters) ruins by hand,” he said, pointing to the freshly processed soil. “Why? Because this is my land and no one can take it from me. “
For Abu Suleiman, the act of agriculture is also a declaration of challenge.
“Life in the ruins is a challenge, but this is what we have accepted,” he said. “Leaving gas is unable. We have experienced bombing, destruction and loss. We will not give up now. “
Israel's military campaign in Gaza, launched on October 7, 2023, left an unparalleled enclave fee. With more than 46 700 Palestinians deadIncluding 18,000 children and nearly 1.9 million people displaced, slightly remains untouched. More than half of gas buildings have been damaged or destroyed, including critical infrastructure: 92 percent of primary roads and 84 percent of healthcare facilities are compromised.
Abu Suleiman rejected the comments about Trump's relocation, saying he “doesn't understand history or reality.”
“People who have endured 15 months of ruthless bombing and refused to leave will never agree to forced relocation,” said Abu Suleiman.
For many Palestinians, the prospect of leaving their homeland is not just unthinkable; It is a betrayal of their history and identity.
“Yes, we have endured unimaginable suffering, the destruction of everything we have, and the trauma of the genocide,” said Abu Suleiman. “But none of this can push anyone to accept the displacement. Our memories of Nakba in 1948 remain alive. Those who left then never returned and we will not let the story be repeated. “
NakbaOr the “crash”, the event that Abu Suleiman referred to was the forced displacement of at least 750,000 Palestinians from their homes in 1948 in the formation of Israel at 78 percent of the historical Palestine.
This memory remained for many Palestinians and often shapes their actions today.
Abu Suleiman pointed out that the possibilities of leaving the gas were available during and even before the war, but people chose to stay extremely much, even when death is more than life.
“We see ourselves as part of the resistance, as defenders of Palestine. To surrender or leave would mean paying a price that the whole nation cannot afford, “he said. “This heavy weight only strengthens our determination to behave on our land, even if it means living among ruins.”
Iraa Mansour, a 35-year-old mother of four living in a makeshift tent after her home was destroyed in Khan Einnis, supported Abu Suleiman's dispute.
“We refuse to leave, not because we lack options, but because it's our home,” she said. “Even my kids understand the value of staying in our land, despite suffering.”
However, Iraa claims that Palestinian leaders need to be activated to provide minimal support, including education, healthcare and emergency care to help people withstand unbearable conditions.
“How can we fight displacement if we lack the basic needs of life? Is it reasonable to expect Gaza to withstand this inferior to indefinitely while requiring more resilience than its people? ” – said Iraa. “Without food, shelter and basic needs, even the strongest families can be forced to consider alternatives, not by lack of patriotism, but from pure despair.”
“This is our land”
Hani al-Akkad, a Palestinian Gaza political analyst, sees the Palestinian refusal to abandon their land as an important reason why he believes that the proposed plan for moving Trump will fail.
“Every past attempt to shift the Palestinians has failed because they consider this struggle to be their own,” he said. “When families camp outdoors for days, just to return to the ruins of their northern cities, this is the ultimate expression of determination to remain.”
Al-Akkad pointed out the mass return of displaced Palestinians in North Gaza, despite the complete destruction and lack of services in the region, which was particularly directed by Israel during the war, as a message to both Israel and international supporters of the relocation.
“Trump and others fail to understand the Palestinians,” he said. “This is not just about living on land; It is about contacting their homeland, which is uncompromising and deeply rooted in history and identity. “
“Return to the north, knowing what he expects, is a clear rejection of the forced relocation,” said al-Akkad. “Those who stand for such schemes must accept that the Palestinians will never leave their land. Instead, they should focus on recognizing their rights and supporting the path to statehood. “
He also rejected the idea of ”voluntary displacement” through intentional deprivation.
“Israel managed to make the gas almost inevitable,” he said. “But they failed to separate the Palestinians from their land. The Palestinians in Gaza have proven again and again that they can revive even the most devastated places, knowing that their fight is not just about survival, but on a national mission. “
This article has been published in collaboration with EgabS
