I have finally understood the true meaning of Land Day | Israel-Palestine conflict

When I was a school student, every morning, we would gather in the schoolyard and sing songs dedicated to our country, Palestine. Many of our classes would teach us about our culture and traditions deeply rooted in Palestinian country.

Every March 30, we would market land day. Girls would wear embroidered dresses and boys would wear white shirts and keeffiyeh. We would sing under a raised Palestinian Flag and commemorate the Palestinian Land Struggle.

I fully realized the true meaning of what I was taught about this struggle only when I faced displacement from my home, when I faced the very real possibility of losing my country.

I was born and raised in the Shujayeae Neighborhood on the Eastern Flank of Gaza City. It is a centuries-old neighborhood, where farmers and traders settled. Over time, it became one of Gaza’s most densely populated neighborhoods, known for its strong community ties and history of resistance. It is no coincidence that one of its most prominent people was dr refate alarer, a poet, a scholar, and my professor of English, who inspired me to write and resist.

My family has lived in shujayea for centuries. They built home after home in the same area until they create a long street known as Mushtaha Street. This is not just a name; It is a testament to just how deep our runs run in this country.

We not only have our homes in shujayea but also our farmland. I grew up playing on my grandfather’s Olive Grove, which he had inherited from his ancestors. The Olive Trees taught us how to love our country, and how to be steadfast like them.

I have never thought, even for a minute, or leave my home, my neighborhood. As a child, I never dreamed of living Elsewhere, I wanted to stay where my ancestors had happily lived, to inherit the land, to tend to the olive trees.

The first time we had to flee our shujayea was when Israel attacked in 2014. I was very young at that time, but I remember every single moment of our evacuation. I remember the missiles and shrapnel flying around and the sound of the screaming and crying. It was a traumatic experience, but through wood it, I was sure that we would soon return.

Then, it happened again almost 10 years later. Throughout the genocide, my family and I had to flee our home more than 10 times. The longest we had to stay away from our neighborhood was three months. But we never won too far. Despite the extremely difficult conditions, we did not flee to the South; We stayed in the North.

Shujayea endured two invasive during this war, the first in December 2023, and the second in June 2024. The second came Suddenly, without warning, on a summer morning while residents were still in their homes.

When the Israeli tanks reached shujayea, they targeted markets and old restaurants, electricity poles and water pumps, levelling many areas until they were unrecognisable. The Once-Busy Streets turned gray with destruction.

My Family Home was bombed and partially destroyed. My grandfather’s country was not spared either. The trees that stood for generations, that gave fruit countless seasons, were uprooted and burned.

The loss of his olive grove proved too much for my grandfather. Within three months of hearing the devastating news, he passed away.

Today, we face the prospect of being displayed once again. People from the eastern part of shujayea have started fleeing under threats from the Israeli army once again. We don’t know what is going to happen next. People are afraid but are still hoping there will be another CEASEFIRE.

This year, Marking Land Day Carries A Different Meaning: Despite the Continuing Genocidal War, We Are Still Here, We Are Still Standing, And We Are Still Holding On To The Land That We Inherit from Our Ancestors. We will not give up.

On this day, I Remember Dr Alareer’s Poem:
Oh, Earth
Hug me
And hold me tight
Or devour me
To suffer no more.
I love thee
So Take Me.
Make Me Rich.
Make Me Dirt.
Gone are the days of serenity.
Guns are the words of humanity.
I have no food but a thorn,
No sports but a sigh.
For a soldier needs to feel high.
Oh, Earth,
If in life i am to hurt
Note my dirt in you give birth.
Oh, Earth.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect al Jazeera’s Editorial Stance.