Palestinians rejected Trump’s rehabilitation plan as they return to North Gaza

Khan Younis and Dir El-Bala, Gaza Strip, Palestine- Saqr Maqdad and his family returned to their difficult journey to North Gaza late on Sunday night, Israel has re -opened up North for the first time since the early days of their 15 -month war on Palestinian Enclave, a delicate With Hamas after the ceasefire agreement.

In the south, the Khan Yunis went behind, leaving behind the displacement camp, with 31-year-old, with his wife, and two years, Reema, 5, and two-year-old Rava moved to the north along the coastal al-Rashid Road. At the remote northern end of the surrounded area, the family hometowns reached the Beat Hanoon.

The Maqdad family was one of the estimated 200,000 Palestinians, which returned to the most destroyed parts of the Gaza Strip on Monday, a dramatic return in many areas by many people assured that Israel ever again again after the war. Had not allowed to enter.

When Al Jazeera met him, as he passed through the central Gaza, he had already walked about 20 kilometers (12.4 mi), taking only a few small clothes.

But the family was still determined that they would return home.

“We are going back to the place where we have grown up, the land that keeps our memories,” said Sakar. “Even if it has been destroyed, it is still ours.”

This feeling, shared by thousands of Journeying North, is directly in conflict with the comments made by the United States President Donald Trump on Saturday, where he suggested that Palestinians in Gaza could be sent to neighboring Jordan and Egypt.

Trump said, “You are probably talking about a million and one and a half people, and we just clean the whole thing and say:” You know, it’s finished. “

While Trump said that this step could be a temporary measure, his comments immediately attracted backlash, critics accused him of advocating large -scale displacement, especially for Israeli for illegal Israeli settlements in Gaza In the light of far-flung push.

“Trump’s talk of transferring us is pure fantasy,” SAQR laughed. “Does he think, whatever we have tolerated, after that we will leave the bus? This is our house, and we are living.”

He emphasized that his family’s journey to beat Hanoon was more than returning home.

“This is a message for business and its supporters: we will not leave our land. We will stay here, it doesn’t matter. ,

Across Gaza, Palestinians have rejected Trump’s proposal, “seen as an expansion of efforts to uproot them from their land”, Saqr said.

“No political plan, no matter how powerful it may be, can change it,” he explained.

He said, “We took back to the north, every step was a step against displacement.” “This is our land. We were born here, and we will die here. ,

No transfer

In Khan Younis in Southern Gaza, 76 -year -old Abu Suleman Zavara is quietly teasing as his own resistance. Their farm, once with olives and citrus trees, were amazed during a month’s Israeli military operation. Abu Suleman has spent the last few months to recover the land.

He said, “I have cleared the seven dunam (7,000 square meters) debris by hand,” he said, pointing to the mud filled with freshness. “Why? Because this is my land, and no one can take it from me.”

For Abu Suleman, farming work is also an announcement of disregard.

“Living in the midst of debris is a challenge, but this is one that we have accepted,” he said. “Leaving Gaza is out of question. We have survived bombing, destruction and loss. Now we will not give up. ,

Israel’s military operation in Gaza, launched on October 7, 2023, has left a unique toll on the enclave. More than 46,700 Palestinians died, including 18,000 children, and around 1.9 million people were displaced, there is very little untouched there. More than half of Gaza buildings have been damaged or destroyed, including significant infrastructure: 92 percent of primary roads and 84 percent of health facilities have been compromised.

Abu Suleman rejected Trump’s rehabilitation comments, saying that he “does not understand history or reality”.

Abu Suleman said, “Those who have tolerated 15 months of tireless bombing and refused to leave will never agree to forced transfer.”

For many Palestinians, the possibility of leaving their homeland is not just unimaginable; This is betrayal with their history and identity.

“Yes, we have tolerated unimaginable suffering, destruction of everything we do and the trauma of the genocide,” said Abu Suleman. “But none of this can push anyone to accept displacement. Our memories of Nakba remained vivid in 1948. Those who left, never returned, and we will not let history repeat ourselves. ,

Nakbaba, or “destruction”, the incident that Abu Suleman referred to, was forcibly displaced by at least 750,000 Palestinians from his homes in 1948 on the formation of Israel at 78 percent of the historic Palestine.

This memory has stopped for many Palestinians, and often shapes their functions.

Abu Suleman said that during the war, there were opportunities to leave Gaza even more earlier during the war, but people have chosen heavy to live, even as death came closer than life.

“We see ourselves as part of resistance, as defenders of Palestine. Or to give a holiday it would mean that he cannot pay the price of the entire country, ”he said. “This heavy burden only strengthens our resolve to catch our land, even if it means living between ruins.”

Isra Mansoor, a 35 -year -old mother of four, who was living in a tent in her home after being destroyed in Khan Younis, supported Abu Suleman’s argument.

“We refuse to leave, not because we lack options, but because it is our home,” he said. “Even my children understand the value of living in our land despite sorrow.”

However, Israarai argued that Palestinian leaders should take steps to provide minimum assistance to the leaders, including education, healthcare and emergency assistance, to help people face unbearable situations.

“If we lack the basic needs of life, then how can we fight displacement? Is it appropriate to expect Gaza to bear this hatred indefinitely, demanding more flexibility from his people? Isra said. “Food, shelter and basic needs, even the strongest families can be forced to consider the option, not out of patriotism, not out of lack of patriotism, but out of frustration.”

‘This is our land’

Honey al-Akad, a Palestinian political analyst from Gaza, refuses to leave his land, as he believes that Trump’s proposed rehabilitation plan will fail.

“Each past attempt to displace the Palestinians has failed because they consider the fight on themselves,” he said. “When families camp in the open for days, just to return to the ruins of their northern cities, this is the ultimate expression of determination to live.”

Al-Akakad pointed to large-scale returns of displaced Palestinians, despite complete destruction and lack of services in the region, which was specifically targeted by Israel during the war, both Israel and transfer to international supporters As a message for.

“Trump and other Palestinians fail to understand,” he said. “It’s not just about living on the ground; It is about a relationship with their motherland that lies in history and identity as disabled and depth. ,

“Return to the answer, knowing what is awaited, is a clear rejection of forced transfer,” said Al-Akad. “Those who advocate such schemes should accept that Palestinians will never be left their land. Instead, they should focus on recognizing their rights and supporting a route to the state. ,

He also deliberately rejected the idea of ​​”voluntary displacement” through lack of lack.

“Israel has been successful in making Gaza almost without thinking,” he said. “But they have failed to separate the Palestinians from their land. Palestinians in Gaza have repeatedly proved that they can revive the most devastated places, knowing that their struggle is not only about existence but a national mission. ,

This article is published in collaboration with Agab.