Unveiling Resilience: A Poignant Message from a Palestinian women Amidst the Rubble
Watan-Social media activists have shared a video featuring a Palestinian woman who had evacuated her home due to Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip. Upon returning during the ceasefire, she found it reduced to rubble. Despite this, she has not lost her will to resist and endure, expressing a strong determination to hold onto her land, as portrayed in the widely circulated video.
The Palestinian woman is seen in the video, presented by the “AJ+ Arabic” platform, dedicated to inspiring and impactful stories, amidst the wreckage of her home. She recounts that her house had previously collapsed in 2008, as well as in the years 2011 and 2014.
A Palestinian woman inspects her home that was bombed in the northern region. According to the accompanying report for the video, the Palestinian woman, named ‘Um Hani Al-Najjar,’ returned immediately after the ceasefire to check on her house from which she had evacuated in the Khaza’a area in southern Gaza, only to find it reduced to rubble.
In the video, the Palestinian mother points to a container holding a copy of the Quran, explaining that rescuers retrieved it from her neighbor’s house and found it on the chest of the homeowner who had been martyred.
She carries a red heart-shaped gift from the debris of her home, stating that it’s for her daughter and adding, ‘May her heart be safe, O mother.’ Um Hani then approaches a makeshift swing, mentioning that she made it for her grandchildren.
“The Jews show no mercy, and so do the Arabs,” declares Um Hani Al-Hajjar as she praises her home, built three years ago, which, in her words, is like a bride: “We built it with the tears in our eyes.”
With a tone of patience and inspiring resilience, she adds, “We will continue to rebuild and will not succumb to displacement.” In the beloved Gazan dialect, she emphasizes, “There is no displacement for Gaza; it’s our land, our kingdom, nothing but Gaza for us.”
The returning woman asserts, “We bring the wealth, and we rebuild the house.” She states that as long as her children are alive and breathing, she is well.
In a scene portraying her preparing food on a wood-burning stove amid the rubble, the steadfast Palestinian woman declares, “Even among the ruins, we will come out and eat.” She concludes, ” show no mercy, and so do the Arabs.”
In another glimpse inside her destroyed kitchen, she expresses her reluctance to let anyone touch her kitchen tools and points out some kitchen necessities, including “zaatar from my homeland.”
Despite external shots revealing the destruction of her home, Um Hani continues to share her story, mentioning the loss of her best neighbors, eight of whom perished when their house collapsed. The video notes that 46,000 homes were completely demolished, and an additional 246,000 were partially destroyed due to the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, according to the Gaza government’s media office.
