The Gaza Strip was created by Israel as the world's biggest refugee camp in the world during the Nakba of 1948. Within a year, an area known for its prosperity and diversity became a densely populated Strip first ruled by Egypt and then occupied by Israel in 1967.
By 2006 Gaza had morphed into the biggest open air prison in the world. Israel imposed a siege on the Gaza Strip after its people democratically elected Hamas, a government Israel did not like. The Strip was punished and put under land siege and sea blockade. Any resistance was met by the full force of the Israeli army.
Israel has launched major wars on Gaza since 2008, bombarding it from the air, land and sea. These were not acts of retaliation; rather, they reflected a policy of incremental genocide meant to wipe out the Gaza Strip entirely as part of the ethnic cleansing policies of Israel, as is settler colonial states' practice of replacing the native inhabitants.
Starting on October 7, 2023, the latest assault on Gaza has been the most catastrophic by far. Unlike previous wars, which incrementally made Gaza, per United Nations estimates, 'unlivable', the latest war has aimed at erasing the Gazan population completely. As of December 30, 2024, the Wall Street Journal reported that 70 percent of residential areas of Gaza had been damaged or destroyed, rendering nearly the entire population of the Strip homeless.
In this process, every hospital in the Strip has either been bombed, shelled, raided, or shut down. Every sector of Palestinian society has been targeted, and in some cases completely wrecked. Aside from the healthcare system, this ruin has also struck the educational system, food distribution centers, commercial hubs, police stations, civil defense headquarters, religious institutions, government offices, and even art galleries, libraries, museums, zoos, and animal shelters.
How can a population remain steadfast in the face of this unprecedented erasure of all manifestations of their existence? What drives their unyielding spirit?
This book sheds light on the power of the Palestinian people of Gaza emanating from the voices of its own intellectuals, journalists, doctors, teachers, civil defense workers, artists, and community leaders. These powerful accounts illuminate Gazans' struggles and unwavering commitment to persist as a people against all odds, facing the future with enduring solidarity and unshakeable resolve.
Truly, can Palestine ever, then, be extinguished?
