After Trump came the floods. Strong winds and heavy rains hit the Gaza Strip early this morning, with the winter storm flooding tents sheltering displaced families and tearing away the plastic sheeting they have been using on their destroyed homes.
However, residents said the US president's announced plans for the US to take control of the enclave and expel them have strengthened their determination to stay.
"Despite all the tragedy we are experiencing, despite the rain and the very bad weather, people are without roofs," said Qassem Abu Hassoun, amid the rain and destroyed houses in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip.
His family returned there, to their destroyed home, as soon as the ceasefire was declared on January 19, after spending months trying to find shelter further north. They have no plans to leave again.
"People are identified with their place, their land," he told Reuters.
At night, after most Gaza residents were informed of Trump's announcement, the storm woke sleeping families and tore apart makeshift tents made of plastic.
This morning, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the military to prepare a plan that would allow the "voluntary departure" of Gaza residents.
"It seems like even the weather is against us, but neither the weather, nor Trump, nor Israel will drive us off our land," said Abdel Gan, a father of four who lives with his family in the ruins of their home in Gaza City, which was destroyed by Israel.
The winds blew away the pieces of nylon they had used to cover the broken windows and holes in the walls. Rainwater seeped in. However, they are not going anywhere, he told Reuters via text message.
"Is he crazy?" Gann said, referring to Trump. "We're not going to sell the land to you, contractor. We're hungry, we're homeless and we're desperate, but we're not traitors. If he wants to help, let him come and rebuild for us here."
In Israel, Channel 12 reported that Katz's plan would include options for departure via land crossings, as well as special arrangements for departure by sea and air.
The displacement of Palestinians is one of the most sensitive issues in the Middle East. The forcible displacement of a population under military occupation constitutes a war crime, prohibited under the 1949 Geneva Conventions.
Bassem Naim, a Hamas official, told Reuters that Katz's statement was not surprising and was intended to cover up Israel's failure to achieve its goals in the war in Gaza.
Israel has said its goal was to eliminate Hamas, the armed group that sparked the war with a bloody attack on October 7, 2023. But since the ceasefire took effect three weeks ago, Hamas militants have regained control of the enclave.
Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who had fled to other parts of Gaza returned to their homes, especially in the northern part of the enclave, which is almost completely destroyed. Naim said this proves the deep connection Palestinians have with their land.
"If they are sincere in their demands, they should continue to lift this suffocating blockade on Gaza, open the crossings, and they will be shocked to see that the number of those returning to Gaza will exceed the number of those leaving, despite the great destruction," Naimi said. (A2 Televizion)
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