Do you know what it means to breathe air that isn’t pure, to live seven days without water, to be hungry without food?And all of this just because you are Palestinian, because you defend your land, because you are Muslim, because you say “Allahu Akbar.”
There are three reasons why we stay in Gaza: we are landowners, we know the lies of the occupier, and we stand with the resistance.
First of all, we are landowners. And that’s enough reason to stay. We believe that we aren’t doing anything wrong. We have a goal, and we understand the price of that goal—it demands many sacrifices, much pain. You pay for your sacrifices. Because of our beliefs, we lose our homes, our money, our families. We live without peace, without water, without money, without food. We stay seven days without water, but this does not mean doom. These sacrifices mean that we will reach our goal soon, Inshallah. We know God’s justice, and God will support us.
Second, we know the lies of the occupier. In the first month, the Israeli occupation said that Gaza is a dangerous place and that we should go to the south, where it would be safe. In fact, we all felt fear and panic. The people had two opinions: some believed the Israeli occupation and went to the south, while others did not believe the occupiers and stayed, defying them to foil their plans. Now, after 11 months of war, the people of the north have succeeded in preventing the occupiers from achieving their goals. They lied and told us the south was safe, but now they kill people there and commit massacres. They violate international law. When a weak country violates international law, it is punished, but when the Israeli occupation violates international law, there is no punishment. We only hear words of condemnation, but nothing changes in reality.
Third, we stay with the resistance. We are nothing without the resistance. It gives us a feeling of freedom. If all Gazans went to the south, who would stay with the resistance? Who would help them, give them food and water? If we went to the south, we would be helping the Israeli occupation to kill them.
Despite constant hardship and oppression, we stay strong in our belief, hold firm to our land, reject the occupier’s lies, and support the resistance—because our fight is not just for survival, but for freedom, dignity, and justice.
By: Huda Anan, member of 16th October Media, Gaza Strip
