Saqr Maqdad and his family set off for northern Gaza late on Sunday night, just before Israel reopened the north for the first time since its 15-month war with the Palestinian enclave, following a fragile ceasefire agreement with Hamas.
Leaving behind the Khan Younis displacement camp in the south, the 31-year-old, along with his wife, and two daughters, Reema, 5, and two-year-old Rawaa, walked northward along the coastal al-Rashid road hoping to reach Beit Hanoon, the family’s hometown, at the far northern tip of the besieged territory.
An estimated 200, 000 Palestinians retreated to the most devasted areas of the Gaza Strip on Monday, making a dramatic comeback from areas many feared Israel would never permit them to re-enter in the wake of the war.
They had already walked about 20 kilometers (12. 4 miles) and were only carrying a few small bags of clothing when Al Jazeera saw them as they passed through central Gaza.
But the family were determined nonetheless, adamant that they would return home.
“We’re going back to the place where we grew up, the land that holds our memories”, Saqr said. “Even if it’s destroyed, it’s still ours”.
The tens of thousands of people traveling north express a conflict with Donald Trump’s comments on Saturday that suggested sending Palestinians to neighboring Jordan and Egypt.
“You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say: ‘ You know, it’s over'”, Trump said.
Trump’s statements, in spite of the far-right movement’s claims that the move might be temporary, sparked immediate criticism.
“Trump’s talk of relocating us is pure fantasy”, Saqr scoffed. “Does he think, after everything we’ve endured, we’ll just leave? This is our home, and we’re staying”.
He emphasized that Beit Hanoon was about more than just returning home for his family.
“It’s a message to the occupation and its backers: we will not abandon our land. We’ll stay here, no matter the cost”.
Across Gaza, Palestinians have rejected Trump’s proposal, viewing it as an extension of efforts to “uproot them from their land”, Saqr added.
“No political scheme, no matter how powerful, can change that”, he explained.
“Every step we took back to the north was a step against displacement”, he said. “This is our land. We were born here, and we will die here”.
No relocation
In southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, 76-year-old Abu Suleiman Zawaraa has been quietly waging his own form of resistance. His farm, once teeming with olive and citrus trees, was razed during a months-long Israeli military operation. Abu Suleiman has been restoring the land for the past few months.
“I’ve cleared seven dunams]7, 000 square metres] of rubble by hand”, he said, gesturing towards the freshly tilled soil. “Why? Because I’m the only one who can take it from me, this is my land.
For Abu Suleiman, the act of farming is also a declaration of defiance.
“Living among the rubble is a challenge, but it’s one we’ve accepted”, he said. “Leaving Gaza is out of the question. We’ve survived bombardments, destruction, and loss. We are going to keep working.”
Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, launched on October 7, 2023, has left an unparalleled toll on the enclave. With more than 46, 700 Palestinians dead, including 18, 000 children, and nearly 1.9 million people displaced, there is little left untouched. More than half of Gaza’s buildings have been damaged or destroyed, including critical infrastructure: 92 percent of primary roads and 84 percent of health facilities have been compromised.
Abu Suleiman dismissed Trump’s relocation comments, saying he “doesn’t understand history or reality”.
According to Abu Suleiman, “people who have endured 15 months of relentless bombardment and refused to leave will never consent to forced relocation.”
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 own, and the trauma of genocide”, said Abu Suleiman. “But none of this can push anyone to accept displacement. Our memories of the Nakba in 1948 remain vivid. Those who left then never returned, and we will not let history repeat itself”.
The Nakba, or “catastrophe”, the event that Abu Suleiman referred to, was the forced displacement of at least 750, 000 Palestinians from their homes in 1948 upon the formation of Israel on 78 percent of historical Palestine.
That memory has stayed for many Palestinians, and often shapes their actions today.
People have overwhelmingly chosen to stay in Gaza, even as death seemed closer than life, according to Abu Suleiman, who noted that opportunities existed for leaving both before and after the war.
“We see ourselves as part of the resistance, as defenders of Palestine. Giving in or leaving would require paying a price, he claimed. Even if it means surviving in the ruins, “this heavy burden only strengthens our resolve to hold on to our land.”
Israa Mansour, a 35-year-old mother of four living in a makeshift tent after her home was destroyed in Khan Younis, backed Abu Suleiman’s argument.
“We refuse to leave, not because we lack options, but because this is our home”, she said. Even my children understand the value of surviving the suffering in our land.
Israa argued, however, that Palestinian leaders must step up to provide minimum support, including education, healthcare, and emergency aid, to help people withstand the unbearable conditions.
If we don’t have the basic necessities for life, how can we fight displacement? Is it reasonable to expect Gaza to endure this heinous abomination indefinitely while enlisting its citizens in its resilience? Israa said. “Without food, shelter, and basic needs, even the strongest families might be forced to consider alternatives, not out of a lack of patriotism, but out of sheer desperation”.
This is our home, according to the statement.
Palestinian political analyst Hani al-Aqqad points to the refusal of Palestinians to renounce their land as a significant factor in why he thinks Trump’s proposed relocation plan will fail.
Because they view this conflict as their own, he said, “every previous attempt to relocate Palestinians failed.” The ultimate expression of staying power is when families camp out in the open for days only to return to the ruins of their northern towns.
Al-Aqqad sent a message to both Israel and international proponents of relocation by pointing to the widespread return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza despite the region’s complete destruction and lack of services.
“Trump and others fail to understand the Palestinians”, he said. It’s about having a strong, unwavering bond with their homeland, which is deeply rooted in history and identity, not just about living on land.
“The return to the north, knowing what awaits, is a clear rejection of forced relocation”, al-Aqqad said. “Those who support these schemes must accept that Palestinians will never leave their land,” reiterates the statement. Instead, they should focus on recognising their rights and supporting a pathway to statehood”.
He also dismissed the idea of “voluntary displacement” through deliberate deprivation.
“Israel has succeeded in making Gaza nearly unlivable”, he said. They haven’t, however, managed to eject Palestinians from their land. Palestinians in Gaza have repeatedly demonstrated their ability to bring back even the most ravaged areas, knowing that the struggle is not just about survival but also about a national mission.
Source: Aljazeera
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