Hatem Azzam, a 34-year-old resident of Rafah in southern Gaza, expressed his anger over U.S. President Donald Trump’s comments suggesting that Gazans should relocate to Egypt or Jordan. “Trump thinks Gaza is a pile of garbage—absolutely not,” Azzam said, condemning Trump’s words when he mentioned plans to “clean out the whole thing.” He called Trump “delusional” and accused him of trying to push Egypt and Jordan to accept migrants as if they were his “personal farm.”
Both Egypt and Jordan, as well as neighboring countries, have rejected Trump’s proposal, as have the people of Gaza. As Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepare to meet in Washington later on Tuesday to discuss plans for the war-torn Palestinian territory, Azzam made it clear that Gazans would not be driven away. “Trump and Netanyahu must understand the reality of the Palestinian people and the people of Gaza. We are deeply rooted in our land—we will not leave,” Azzam told AFP.
Ihab Ahmed, another resident of Rafah, lamented that Trump and Netanyahu “still don’t understand the Palestinian people” or their connection to the land. “We will stay on this land no matter what. Even if we have to live in tents and on the streets, we will stay rooted here,” said Ahmed, 30. He emphasized that Palestinians had learned from the 1948 war, when hundreds of thousands were forcibly displaced during the creation of Israel, never to return. “The world must understand this message: we will not leave, as happened in 1948.”
In northern Gaza, Raafat Kalob, standing amid the remains of war-torn buildings in Jabalia, expressed concerns about the Trump-Netanyahu meeting’s potential impact. “I expect Netanyahu’s visit to Trump to reflect his future plans to forcibly displace the Palestinian people and redraw the Middle East,” he said. “I sincerely hope this plan does not succeed.”
In the same area, rows of tents from charity organizations line the land, with the ruins of buildings still bearing the marks of war. Displaced Palestinians who returned after a ceasefire took effect on January 19 have set up tents next to their destroyed homes.
Despite the hardship, some, like 50-year-old Majid al-Zebda, remain hopeful. “Trump will pressure Netanyahu to end this war permanently,” said al-Zebda, who lost his home in the conflict. Though the ceasefire marked a fragile halt to the fighting and initiated the process of a hostage exchange, no talks have yet started for a lasting peace. Al-Zebda, a father of six, declared that neither he nor any Gazan would leave. “We are the owners of this land; we have always been here, and will always be. The future is ours,” he asserted.
