Gazans Have a Message for Trump: We’re Not Going Anywhere
The president wants to clear the territory and take it for the US. But people here are adamant: “I will never, ever leave my land.”
Donald Trump hosts Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the White House in Washington. DC, on February 4, 2025.
(Avi Ohayon / GPO /Handout / Anadolu via Getty Images)Gaza—After over a year of bloodshed, the Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has allowed hundreds of thousands of displaced people to return to their homes in northern Gaza—and hundreds of thousands of others to begin trying to rebuild their lives.
Yet, just as people began to take these first tentative steps back to normalcy, US President Donald Trump unveiled a seemingly serious plan to ethnically cleanse Gaza, pushing us to neighboring countries like Egypt and Jordan while the United States takes “ownership” of our land.
People around the world have condemned such solutions, viewing them as an attempt to erase the Palestinian national identity rather than provide a just resolution to their historical plight.
But how do Palestinians in Gaza feel? Judging from the people I spoke to here, the answer is simple: They’re not going anywhere.
Despite the immense hardships, the overwhelming majority of Gazans reject the idea of emigration—no matter what compensation or privileges may be offered, and even if the reconstruction of Gaza may take years.
One such person is 24-year-old Asma Abdu, who endured fear, displacement, and starvation in northern Gaza throughout the 15 months of the war.
“I will never, ever leave my land. And those who left during the war to the south—they regret it deeply,” she said firmly. “Their love for their city and attachment to their homes made them return immediately when the Netzarim corridor opened. They returned home, even though they had no homes or shelters. Their only concern was going back. They didn’t think of the consequences. So how could you imagine they would accept permanent displacement?”
Asma believes that what Biden failed to achieve, Trump won’t make happen either. “Our stability—our very souls—are tied to this land. Believe me.”
Even people who already left Gaza reject Trump’s plan. Manar went to Egypt with her family after the start of the genocide. She wants to come back. “Our departure from Gaza was only for our safety,” she said. “[We] need to come back to Gaza once the borders are open and everything is settled.”
Mohammed Omar, a father of two who fled to Egypt, has the same perspective. “Our departure from Gaza was a mistake. Even if a million dollars was paid for me to immigrate, I will refuse. There is no peace or calm but in Gaza, even during wars, Gaza feels warmer and more compassionate than any place in the world.”
Some said that Trump had betrayed the promises he’d made to them before his election. “I felt deeply disappointed hearing such statements,” said Nada Nabil, a human rights activist. “For a while, I thought that the new American administration would genuinely aim to stabilize the Middle East and put an end to wars and conflicts, based on Trump’s pre-declared policies.”
“But apparently, US policies never turn kind toward the Palestinians,” she added.
Nabil acknowledged that if this scheme were backed by job opportunities and proper accommodations, some might begin to consider emigration. On a personal level, however, she does not see herself leaving Gaza. “After the war, I feel completely disillusioned with the world. I hate how the world stood by in silence. I can only see myself happy inside my land, surrounded by my family and my people—not anywhere else.”
Trump’s plan has several obvious hurdles. It would take considerable military might to expel so many people, and there would have to be other countries that wanted to take them.
“The Arab countries’ stance during the Israeli war on Gaza will never be forgotten. No country provided substantial help or exerted meaningful pressure on Israel to stop its genocidal crimes against Gazans,” Asma pointed out. “So why would they open their doors for us now?”
The citizens of those countries will also resist Trump’s plans. Last week, a massive crowd of Egyptians protested against Trump’s schemes near the Rafah crossing border, in solidarity with Palestinians and their right to their lands.
Mohammed, a 32-year-old citizen from Gaza, had a better idea of where Palestinians might go. “We’d better be sent to our homeland—Palestine—which our ancestors were expelled from by force since 1948,” he said. “Why push us into other Arab countries and aggravate our suffering?”
As displaced Gazans struggle to rebuild their lives in the wake of destruction, many fear that Trump’s rhetoric could only further hinder their task.
Popular
“swipe left below to view more authors”Swipe →“The issue of rebuilding Gaza is going to be the most brutal battle, involving all forms of political bargaining,” said political activist Aziz Al-Masri in a Facebook post. “Every day that passes without reconstruction is like a year of delay.”
“The main target behind the massive destruction in Gaza is to make rebuilding so complicated that the Strip becomes unliveable,” he added. “Eventually, the Gazan citizen who has no place to live will find no solution but to leave.”
Though the notion of Gazans’ displacement from Gaza is unacceptable for everyone here, Trump apparently takes it more seriously than we may perceive. Asked in an interview about Egypt and Jordan’s rejection of his proposals, he said, “We do a lot for them, and they are going to accept.”
So the question remains: Will the international community uphold Palestinians’ rights to return and rebuild, or will they allow another chapter of forced displacement to unfold?
Support The Nation’s June Fundraising Campaign
With the midterm elections now firmly upon us, the question is whether Democratic candidates will do more than merely occupy ballot lines as mild alternatives to the red-hot crisis that is Donald Trump.
As Trump spends over $1 billion a day on a globally destabilizing war on Iran and admits that he doesn’t “think about Americans’ financial situation,” millions across the country are struggling with the surging costs of essentials. Democrats must seize this moment and advance bold, small-“d” populist ideas—not settle for cynical caution that once again snatches defeat from the jaws of victory.
The Nation elevates progressive ideas, movements, and elected officials achieving real change across the country into the national conversation. At the same time, our journalists are exposing how crypto and AI-funded super PACs are spending hundreds of millions of dollars to knock out candidates they oppose, reporting on the devastating impact of the Supreme Court’s evisceration of the Voting Rights Act, and sounding the alarm on attempts by red states to quickly redraw electoral maps, disenfranchising Southern Black voters.
We can play this critical role because of support from readers like you. This June, we’re raising $20,000 to power The Nation’s independent journalism in the run-up to November’s immensely consequential elections.
It’s in our power to build a more just society, and your support at this critical moment brings us closer to that bold vision. I hope you’ll donate today.
Onward,
Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editor and Publisher, The Nation
More from The Nation
The Iran Disaster Is an Opportunity to Turn Away From Hawkish Idiocy and Reset Our Relationship With the Region The Iran Disaster Is an Opportunity to Turn Away From Hawkish Idiocy and Reset Our Relationship With the Region
The amount of time spent in DC obsessing over Iran compared to the actual threat it poses to our country’s security is insane.
How “the Blob” Gaslighted Itself Into Thinking That Russia Is on the Brink of Collapse How “the Blob” Gaslighted Itself Into Thinking That Russia Is on the Brink of Collapse
And how this is leading America’s Russia policy into dangerous places.
The Man Who Could Keep Colombia’s Left in Power The Man Who Could Keep Colombia’s Left in Power
Presidential candidate Iván Cepeda talks to The Nation about US interference, his far-right opponent’s narco-paramilitary ties, and the unfinished business of the Petro government...
The Framework for the Iran Peace Deal Means Total Humiliation for Trump The Framework for the Iran Peace Deal Means Total Humiliation for Trump
The newly leaked Memo of Understanding to end the conflict makes it clear that the president has nothing to show for his expensive, destructive fool’s errand.
At This Year’s World Cup, Make Way for Autocrats At This Year’s World Cup, Make Way for Autocrats
Sovereign wealth, private equity money, and a network of oily alliances between FIFA and the world’s most reprehensible regimes have transformed the sport forever.
