Mohammed al-Nabahin, 77, was recently informed of an Israeli plan to set up a “voluntary” immigration office for Palestinians in Gaza. He was listening to the radio outside the tent he now calls home.
Al-Nabahin was given the details in the news report. Israel Katz, the cabinet’s defense minister, approved an organization that Israel Katz had planned. Its goal was to organize and secure Palestinians’ “wishing to migrate” to third countries’ exits. No mention of Palestinians returning to their original towns in historical Palestine was made.
The strategy is in line with some similar suggestions made by US President Donald Trump earlier this year.
Mohammed vehemently stated, “The idea is completely out of the question.”
Let them permit us to return to our occupied Palestine, where they expelled us, if they want to do so voluntarily. he told Al Jazeera. Why should we leave our nation, exactly?
Mohammed has already gone through this.
Mohammed was forced to flee and leave his Bureij, in central Gaza, when Israel’s genocidal war broke out 17 months ago.
He still believes that returning to Gaza from a tent is preferable.
“All of my children have my side,” she said. No matter what happens, they are all opposed to leaving Gaza,” Mohammed said.
waiting for death
Salwa al-Masri, 47, is fanning the wood fire to keep it going in the tent opposite where she prepares food for her family.
She rejects the idea of leaving Gaza, which is unacceptable to Mohammed.
She and so many others in Gaza are experiencing the same struggles in the war. Since Israel decided to obstruct Gaza’s supply of goods, she is hardly able to feed her family.
She must rely on nearby wild wildflowers like mallow and spinach for edible plants. She is “waiting for death” because of the hunger and Israel’s bombs.
Salwa can’t bear the thought of leaving, despite the fact that she is suffering.
“We’ve endured it all, but we’re going to leave.” She claimed that this will never occur.
“We have lost everything,” he declared. I have chosen to spend the rest of my life living in the south, facing hardship and hunger, but I will not leave, she continued. I lost my entire home in Beit Hanoun, [in northern Gaza].
Salwa claims that Israel is waiting for the bombings and starvation to mount before offering “exit options” to those who have fled.
Where would we go if we were to wander abroad? Why do we have no choice but to stay, please? she continued.
In a rocket attack on Beit Hanoun, Israel recently killed all eight of Salwa’s sister’s children.
Do you believe my sister would make the decision to leave after such a loss? She responded, “Of course not.”
I’m desperate to leave.
Human rights organizations have criticized Israel’s attempts to evict Palestinians from Gaza in an effort to ethnically cleanse the area.
Palestinians have a long history of being forced out of their homes and villages by Zionist militias in 1948, the last time the state of Israel was established.
During Israel’s conflict in Gaza, ethnic cleansing has been brought up repeatedly under various names. Many Israelis hope to see the cleansing taking place in the occupied West Bank.
More than 50, 000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel’s conflict in Gaza, and Israel is betting that thousands of Palestinians will be desperate to leave, even if they are unable to.
And while many older Palestinians are staying, many younger people in Gaza see no way for themselves there.
In a small, makeshift workshop on a street corner, Mahmoud al-Rai, 25, is repairing bicycle tires.
When Mahmoud inquired about the immigration agency, which he had not heard of, he said, “Where do I sign up?”
He told Al Jazeera, “I want to leave Gaza as soon as possible.” No human being can endure what we go through here, as the saying goes goes “we are exhausted by the wars.” This conflict and its tragedies don’t seem to be coming to an end. We are here for every minute, and it’s like we’re going to pass away.
Mahmoud asserted that he doesn’t care where he goes or that Israel would facilitate his exit.
He added that he was not the only one who wanted to permanently leave Gaza. Many of his friends and peers do the same.
“We all know that this is where we don’t have a future. No existence, no employment, no education, only bloodshed, wars, and destruction, according to the young man, who provides for his family of ten, including his parents.
Source: Aljazeera
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