Deir el-Balah, Gaza Strip, Palestine – Wasayef Abed woke up on Wednesday to murmurs among her fellow displaced Palestinians in central Gaza’s Deir el-Balah.
The discussion was centred on United States President Donald Trump and his announcement that the US would “take over” Gaza. In Trump’s comments, made as he stood next to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – the man responsible for the decision to devastate Gaza in Israel’s war – the US president even said that Palestinians should move from the enclave permanently.
Some of his officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, suggested on Wednesday that any departure would be temporary, although Trump’s language evoked both 19th-century colonialism and the spectre of ethnic cleansing.
The 36-year-old Wasayef’s reaction is one of indifference.
“I didn’t pay much attention,” she said as she made her way to check on her rain-soaked tent.
“I don’t even own a mobile phone or any means of following the news,” she added indifferently, her tired face betraying her exhaustion.
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“What I do know is that my mother and I will never leave Gaza, no matter what happens. All we are waiting for now is a way to return to our destroyed home in the north.”
Wasayef sees Trump’s statements as a form of pressure – on both the Palestinian people and armed groups in Gaza, including Hamas.
“I can tell you that people here will never accept forced displacement,” she said. They can endure internal displacement, but forcing them out of their country, as Trump suggests, will never work.”
‘It will never happen’
Imad al-Qassas, a 60-year-old father of six, has been displaced from eastern Deir el-Balah to its centre, where he now lives in a tent after his home was destroyed.
His response to Trump’s statements was clear: “That’s impossible.”
“No matter how much destruction, devastation and killing we’ve endured during this war, this will never happen,” he added.
“Where would we even go?” he asked. “Even if the border crossings were opened and voluntary migration was offered, I would never leave, no matter how difficult my situation is.”
Imad believes that no matter the temptations of resettlement – whether houses, compensation, or host countries – a person’s ultimate refuge is their homeland.
“I lived in Sudan for four years and in Libya for six years in the 1990s. I was born in the United Arab Emirates. But in the end, I returned home,” he said firmly. “No matter what calamities befall us in Gaza, this is our homeland, and we hold it sacred.”
“Life outside Gaza, even under normal circumstances, is not as easy for all people around the world. Residency permits, renewals, documents – there’s always a distinction between refugees and residents,” he explained. “Now imagine our situation: displaced, rejected and forced out of Gaza. We would undoubtedly be humiliated and treated in the worst way possible.”
“I would rather die where I stand. Even if they cut me and my children into pieces, I will not leave.”
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Tears streamed down Imad’s face as he questioned what the world wants from Palestinians in Gaza.
“We are an educated and cultured people. We have the right to live on our land and see it rebuilt. We have merchants, doctors, journalists, engineers – we have lives. Why are we being forced to leave?”
Like many displaced Palestinians, Imad sees Trump’s remarks as part of “a broader effort to pressure the population”, especially amid discussions on prisoner exchanges and reconstruction efforts.
“I am willing to wait 100 years for the reconstruction if I have to. I will never leave, no matter what.”
At the same time, Imad still blamed Hamas, the Palestinian Authority, and neighbouring countries for failing to end the war at any cost.
“This was all planned long ago. The US and Israel have been plotting this for years. All parties should have shut this plan down from the start because it’s the people who are paying the price.”
‘We no longer care’
Unlike Imad, Khaled Maqbel, 63, and his wife Iman, 52, showed no reaction when asked about Trump’s statements.
“God willing, he will be taken away,” 52-year-old Iman Maqbel muttered, turning her face away.
“Since two of my daughters and two of my grandchildren were killed in an Israeli air strike during the war, I have stopped caring about anything,” she added, tears welling in her eyes.
Iman fled from the as-Saftawi neighbourhood in northern Gaza to Deir el-Balah with her husband, 63-year-old Khaled, and their remaining children a year ago, enduring displacement five times since then.
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“We have no energy left to process anything – Trump or his statements,” said Khaled. “The people of Gaza are drowning in grief, sickness and hardship after the war. They don’t even have the capacity to think about what comes next.”
The couple strongly rejected Trump’s displacement plan. “We already regret leaving the north, even though we were forced out at gunpoint. Do they really think we’ll obey Trump now?”
Iman recalled how, during the war, many displaced people around her spoke of leaving Gaza if given the chance. “But that was only out of sheer desperation,” she said.
“Despite everything, people in Gaza are still clinging to life on this land, even as the entire world fights against us for reasons we can’t understand,” she adds.
“Even if they offered me mansions, millions, and luxurious homes, I wouldn’t leave Gaza – nor would my sons.”
When asked about the timing of Trump’s statements, Khaled erupted in anger.
“Timing? What timing? We are barely waking up from this war!” he said. “People are still pulling their loved ones’ bodies from the rubble. They are still cleaning their homes of debris, searching for any sign of life.”
“This world has lost all sense of humanity.”
‘I will leave the first chance I get’
In contrast, 23-year-old Mahmoud Abu Ouda, who runs a small coffee and tea stand in Deir el-Balah, says he wants to leave the Strip as soon as possible.
“In the end, Trump will force us out of Gaza, just as people were forced from the north to the south during the war,” said Mahmoud.
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“If they open the Rafah crossing [with Egypt], a huge number of people will leave immediately. I’ll be the first to go.”
For Mahmoud, the unbearable pressures of life in Gaza after the war make staying unthinkable. “This is not a life. There is no life here. After the war, there’s nothing left to keep us in this country.”
Although Mahmoud wants to leave Gaza, he rejects the idea of being forced out – but he also sees no alternative.
“We are always forced,” he said. “We were forced to flee from the north to the south. We endured the war against our will. We endured the bombings against our will. We have never had a choice.”
“If leaving is the solution to our problems, then let’s go,” he continued.
“If they prepare homes, jobs, and a real life for us, then let’s leave and put an end to the Gaza story.”
Mahmoud told Al Jazeera that his views represent a significant portion of Gaza’s youth who have suffered immensely during the war.
“Our future has been destroyed. I am responsible for six family members. I couldn’t finish my university degree. I work for a meagre wage all day long. Our house was bombed. We were displaced.”
“Is this the life of a young man in his 20s or an old man in his 90s?” he asked desperately.
“Gaza will never see peace. Gaza is dead,” he said, convinced that Trump is serious about his threats.
‘A psychological war’
Amir Taleb, a friend of Mahmoud’s, agreed that life in Gaza has become unbearable after the war, but opposed forced displacement or the idea of trading the right to stay in Gaza for promises of reconstruction and a better life.
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“Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric is pushing many of us who once considered leaving to change our minds – just to defy his plans,” the 24-year-old Amir said with a sharp smile.
“No rational, self-respecting person would accept this. We are not subjugated to Trump or anyone else to be manipulated as they wish.”
Amir told Al Jazeera that he had left Gaza four years ago, immigrating to Belgium with no intention of returning.
“I couldn’t stay there for more than a year, despite having friends and family there,” he admitted.
He returned to Gaza and opened a small clothing shop.
“Living in exile is difficult, and for us in Gaza, returning is never guaranteed. We do not have the privilege of coming and going as we please. That’s why many choose to stay despite everything,” Amir added.
“Arab and Islamic countries must take a stand against Trump’s schemes,” Amir said. “This is a psychological and moral war against us in every sense.”
