The moon was full in the middle of the sky and as the clock turned 7.30 PM the family of child Ahmed Akila 11 circled around the “Return Cake” decorated by flags of Palestine near the borderline east of Gaza City.
The child celebrated his 11th birthday at Beit Jarjaia tent at the Al-Awda (return) camp located east of Al-Zaytoun neighborhood of Gaza City.
The birthday cake which was covered with red did not have candles on the top of it like other children of the world do but rather the flags of Palestine and the names of the “15 martyrs of return” who were shot dead by Israeli snipers on Friday on the first day of the Great March of Return.
The child Ahmad summarized the issue of return and Palestinian refugees in a word saying “We are returning.”
Ahmad who was born in the Gaza Strip stressed the Palestinian refugees’ right to return to their country of origin.
As for his brother Abdel Raouf he congratulated his brother Ahmed on his birthday sending a message to the Israeli occupation stressing the rights of Palestinians: “I want to convey a message to the Israeli occupation that we will return to our country in the near future.”
The idea of celebrating Ahmed’s birthday coincides with the right of return and peaceful sit-ins and the demand for the right of return guaranteed by international laws especially UN resolutions 194 and 302 under which UNRWA was founded.
The father in an interview with the PIC reporter said that his son’s birthday celebration is a new expression of the Palestinian commitment to the right of return which represents all Palestinians.
The father of the children promotes the culture of return among his kids and others stressing Palestinian constants in order to raise the awareness of Palestinian generations about their national rights.
He added: “It is our right to return to all Palestinian cities and to visit Jerusalem Acre Haifa and Jaffa and all Palestinian villages and pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque without restrictions and limitations whatsoever.”
Akila said that without the issue of return there is no cause for the Palestinian people and all issues come afterwards saying: “If the issue of return is excluded do not talk to me about establishing a state freeing prisoners or about borders or Al-Aqsa and Jerusalem.”
He pointed to the need to move away from the accusation and pointing fingers rhetoric and the need to unite the Palestinian people and to heal the real wound.
He said: “Every Palestinian should come to the east of Gaza and commemorate our tragedies and celebrate our joys and birthdays and weddings. Poets and singers should come to the borders of Gaza.”
He added “Every creative young Palestinian painter and photographer which the theaters of the city are filled with should come to the biggest theater to showcase the Palestinian creativity at the borders.”
He stressed the importance of turning the march from a one-day march to a continuing march until final return.
