With his house in Gaza destroyed in the military offensive of Israel, Shaban Shaqaleh intended to take his family in break in Egypt once the ceasefire in Hamas-Israel is firmly in place.
He changed his mind after Donald Trump announced his intention to reinstall the Palestinian residents of Gaza and redevelop the enclave – which, according to the American president, would not give them the right to return.
The Tel Al-Hawa district in Gaza City, where dozens of buildings on several floors were formerly, is now largely deserted. There is no running water or electricity and, like most buildings, Shaqaleh’s house is in ruins.
“We are horrified by destruction, repeated displacement and death, and I wanted to leave so that I could get a sure future and better for my children – until Trump says what he said,” said Shaqaleh, 47, in Reuters via an app conversation.
“After Trump’s remarks, [saying] He wanted to have Gaza and depopulate it, I canceled the idea, I removed it from my schedule and planning. I’m afraid to leave and never come back. It’s my homeland. “”
As part of the Trump plan, around 2.2 million Gaza Palestinians would be resettled and the United States would take control and property of the devastated coastal enclave, by redeveloping it in that it called the “Riviera from the Middle East “.
“The idea of selling my house or the land that I have to foreign companies to leave the homeland and never come back is completely rejected. I am deeply rooted in the soil of my homeland and I will always be,” said Shaqaleh .
Shaqaleh is now looking for a shelter in Gaza City.
“I had my first haircut in front of my house destroyed this morning, Mr. President,” he said.
Any suggestion that the Palestinians leave Gaza, that they want to be part of an independent state, has been an anathema for the Palestinian management for generations, and the neighboring Arab states have rejected it since the start of the Gaza War in 2023.
‘Hell break out’ If the hostages did not go out on Saturday
Trump spoke Duried in Gaza on Monday after the Palestinian militant group Hamas said that he suspended the release of Israeli hostages implemented in the cease-fire agreement that had entered into force on January 19 because he declared that Israel had violated the conditions.
He said that Hamas should release all the hostages it still keeps at noon on Saturday or that it would propose to cancel the ceasefire and “let hell burst”.
“Hell worse than what we already have? Southern Gaza, standing next to devastated houses.
“I hope the ceasefire agreement does not fall inor,” Mohamed Qaita told CBC News on Tuesday.
A fragile ceasefire has also been questioned by Hamas refusing to publish more hostages on Saturday as planned and accusing Israel of having violated the agreement.
The spokesperson for Hamas, Hazem Qassme, said that Israel “does not hold their end of the market”, now allowing fuel and construction equipment and supplies to enter Gaza, which causes conservation in the Liberation of hostages.
“Hamas respects the agreement and if the occupation fulfills what was agreed, Hamas will put the next hostages in time,” Qassme told CBC News on Tuesday.
A Gazan woman, Samira al-Sabea, accused Israel of having blocked aid deliveries, an accusation refused by Israel, which began its military offensive in Gaza after the attack led by Hamas against Israel on October 7, 2023 .
“We are humiliated. Street dogs live a better life than us,” she said. “And Trump wants to do Gaza Hell? It will never happen.”
Some Gazans have said that Palestinian leaders must find a solution to their problems.
“We do not want to leave our country but also need a solution. Our leaders – Hamas, the AP [Palestinian Authority] And other factions – must find a solution, “said a 40 -year -old carpenter that has only given his name as Jehad.
“How are they going to face Trump’s plans – with statements?”
