GAZA, (PIC)
“Stones [houses] are not more valuable than people. They demolished the stones, but will not destroy the will, and will not take out the love of the land, Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa from our hearts”, Haj Salman Hassan said these words full of determination and firmness, while looking at the remains of his house demolished by Israeli occupation forces (IOF) west of Khan Yunis city in the Gaza Strip.
Despite the severe pain, Haj Hassan, who is seventy years old, has not lost his determination and steadfastness; rather, he was pushing himself to pick up whatever he could carry of the remains of his possessions from under the rubble. Dripping with sweat, he shouted out “May Allah destroy them. They have destroyed our lives.”
Close to him was his grandson, the young child Salman, 12, staring at the place, as if he was recalling in his fresh memory the features of the area that was entirely destroyed by the IOF. He was helping his grandfather once in a while.
The child Salman told the PIC that the IOF destroyed the house along with his toys, bicycle, books, and “all of his dreams.”
“We will never feel weak in the face of this oppression. We are not afraid of them. They have weapons, planes, and the US, and we have the Almighty Allah with us,” the child said.
The massive destruction reveals how the neighborhood in Block C camp, west of Khan Yunis, was turned into rubble.
Despite all the destruction and losses, the Palestinians have historically been showing adherence to their land for more than 100 years.
The Palestinian history is full of stories of Palestinians clinging to the land and presenting precious and valuable sacrifices for the sake of preserving it, which is something cannot be hidden by the media.
Alaa Al-Khatib, 33, lost his entire family, his wife and two children, two months ago in a heinous Israeli airstrike on the city of Deir Al-Balah. His house was also destroyed at the beginning of the Israeli aggression.
He told the PIC, “They will never take out the love of and adherence to the land from our hearts. We love life; however, we are not afraid of death.”
The IOF aims to make Palestinians think a thousand times before resisting the occupation. However, despite the precious price being paid, the Palestinians will remain the owners of the land, and the occupation will disappear, he added, stressing that despite the huge number of martyrs and the massive destruction, the Palestinians will prevail in the end.
Another picture of resilience
Despite the harsh living conditions under the Israeli war, examples of the Palestinian legendary steadfastness are clearly demonstrated in the displacement camps and among the piles of rubble spread across the Gaza Strip.
Among these images are women working together in making bread and preparing meals in tents and displacement centers, setting up some modest games, and holding entertainment days for children by local institutions and initiatives.
The steadfastness is also embodied in initiatives undertaken by some young people to provide relief to those in need to strengthen the steadfastness of citizens in light of the catastrophic conditions.
The young man, Muhammad Al-Najjar, told the PIC correspondent that they were working on a hospice to provide food in the displacement centers in Mawasi area in Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip.
He explained that “the most important goal of the hospice was to strengthen the people’s steadfastness in light of terrible poverty and the lack of life’s necessities,” stressing that their initiative is purely voluntary and based on the personal efforts of some young people.
The IOF failed to achieve its goals
Political analyst Ahmed Awad confirms that Israel has failed miserably during the six months of war to achieve any of its declared military goals, and deliberately committed crimes of murder and systematic destruction in the Gaza Strip.
Awad said, in press statements, “The Israeli occupation intended to transform the Gaza Strip into an unlivable place by destroying 70% of the infrastructure, homes, universities, schools, vital places, and all the necessities of life.”
He opines that over the six months of war, the resistance has destroyed “the myth of the invincible army,” and proved that “Israel is too weak to protect itself and its army, despite the US and Western support.”
The Israeli aggression on Gaza has so far led to the martyrdom of more than 33,000 people, most of them women and children, in addition to the destruction of infrastructure, service and health facilities, and the displacement and starvation of the population.
