https://arab.news/8cxgm
For the last two years, my social media algorithm has been relentlessly dominated by Gaza, particularly the voices of ordinary Gazans, displaying a blend of emotions that center on two core principles: grief and defiance.
Grief has characterized life in Gaza for many years, a consequence of successive Israeli wars, the unrelenting siege and habitual bombardment. The last two years, marked by genocide and famine, however, have redefined that grief in a way that is almost incomprehensible to the Palestinians themselves.
Yes, Palestine has endured numerous massacres before, during and since the Nakba — the tragic destruction of the Palestinian homeland. But those massacres were typically episodic, each distinctively marked by specific historical circumstances. Each is incorporated into the collective psyche as proof of Israeli barbarity, but also as a demonstration of Palestinians’ own enduring resilience as a people.
I grew up in a Gaza refugee camp, where we commemorated each massacre with rallies, general strikes and artistic expressions. We knew the victims and immortalized them through chants, political graffiti, poetry and the like.
