Netanyahu’s plan to deprive and rule in Gaza will fail again

From October 2023 to January 2025, Benjamin Netanyahu caused the displacement of approximately 1.9 million Palestinians, nearly the entire population of Gaza. This is undoubtedly an "achievement." The Israeli Prime Minister can now enter the Guinness World Records as the person who single-handedly caused the displacement of the most people within the smallest territory.

I myself am one of those 1.9 million people. I experienced displacement twice: the first time at the beginning of this genocidal war, and the second time a year later. Many Palestinian families have been displaced multiple times, with some families experiencing 10 or more migrations.

Netanyahu's strategy is very clear, which is to divide us. The north was cut off from the south, and "northerners" were forcibly expelled to the south. Then, "southerners" and other displaced people were forced to move to the center. But this was not enough for him. The Israeli Prime Minister authorized a massive operation aimed at destroying housing throughout the Gaza Strip, especially in the north and south. He also ordered the blocking of humanitarian aid to starve us.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Israel's aggression has resulted in the destruction or damage of 92% of homes in the Gaza Strip, approximately 436,000 buildings. According to the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, Israeli forces never stopped demolishing houses in Rafah throughout the ceasefire. The World Food Programme stated that as of January, more than 2 million people were completely dependent on food assistance, and hundreds of thousands were facing "catastrophic food insecurity."

Netanyahu is now once again ordering the cutting off of all humanitarian aid and planning to forcibly expel Palestinians from the north to the south again. His goal is clear: to tear apart communities, separate and weaken us, and turn us against each other through extreme deprivation. But his strategy has failed in the past 16 months, and it will fail again.

In the face of this genocidal war, the people of Gaza have shown great solidarity. Anyone with an intact home would open their doors to provide shelter for the displaced, including their families, friends, neighbors, and even strangers. Anyone with food would share it. When we were besieged in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in December 2023, we often threw water bottles through the window to our neighbor and his daughter to ensure they had water to drink. We also provided food to others in need by throwing it over the walls that separated our homes from other houses.

During our second displacement, a friend of my father's opened his home to us in the south, where we lived for four months. On January 15, when the ceasefire agreement was announced, the people of Gaza triumphed over Netanyahu and his "divide and conquer" strategy. Four days later, some displaced people from Rafah were able to return.

January 27 marked the "Great Return." Thousands of Palestinians returned to the north. For most of the displaced, "return" meant discovering homelessness. People walked long distances only to find their homes damaged or destroyed. The word we now use to describe destroyed homes in Gaza is "biscuit" – a house that has been flattened like a biscuit.

Homeless returnees have few options: go to schools that have become shelters, set up tents in open spaces or next to the ruins of their homes, or try to repair any standing walls into a living space. Families suffer in heavy rain, strong winds, and cold. Many people discovered the bodies of their loved ones while cleaning, repairing, or searching for their belongings in the ruins, and dug them out to bury them.

But even in the brutal reality of homelessness, Palestinians can still find solidarity. People share what little food and water they have, and even space in crowded tents. Neighbors work together to repair broken walls and roofs. Some people with semi-damaged houses provide shelter for those in need. Volunteers launch campaigns to distribute food and clothing to schools, shelters, and tent camps.

Some young people gather together every day to cook in public kitchens, ensuring that no one goes hungry. People provide emotional support through WhatsApp groups and mental health sessions. In the evenings, families gather to share stories and comfort each other to reduce feelings of loneliness. The men in our community developed a schedule to help each other build shelters in damaged homes. They helped us put up tarpaulins and secure them to the ground with poles, and repaired the walls of our damaged house. We helped others by powering devices with our barely functional solar panels.

"Home" is now something that most people in Gaza long for. It should be a warm place, full of sweet memories, where you can escape when the world feels overwhelming. It shouldn't be a tent, a school, or a destroyed house. But Palestinians have experienced this before. Three-quarters of Gaza's population are refugees or descendants of refugees who lost their homes in the "Nakba." My own ancestors were also expelled from their homes in the town of al-Majdal.

What Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders like him don't seem to understand is that Gaza is more than just a place to us, it is our home. No matter how many times Israel cuts off aid and attacks, destroys homes and displaces people, we will rebuild, not through magic, but through our own solidarity, resilience, and the support of the world. Generations of solidarity have built a community that refuses to be erased. This will help Gaza rise again.