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Heba Ayyad

International journalist and Palestinian-Brazilian writer

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The global war against the Palestinian people continues.

Palestinians will continue to resist and defeat their enemies, regardless of who disappoints them.

Israeli security and rescue personnel at the scene of a shooting attack on a car and a bus, where at least three Israelis were killed near Kedumim in the Israeli-occupied West Bank (Photo: Reuters)

Before we talk about the ongoing war against the Palestinian people, I want to share with our people the joy of two positive moments that have moved all free and honorable people in this world.

The first is the return of hundreds of thousands of Gaza residents to their homes and lands in the northern region. The distressing scene of these ordinary people, emerging after 471 days of genocide, awaiting the reopening of the Netzarim crossing, was striking. They preferred to spend all of Sunday night waiting for the reopening of Rashid Street on Monday morning, anxious to return to their homes, even knowing, almost certainly, that everything would be destroyed and covered in rubble. The streets in front of their houses were devastated, no vehicles are allowed to pass, and unexploded bombs are scattered everywhere, threatening the lives of those who survived the war of extermination.

Our people have built the most extraordinary legends about the unbreakable bond of the Palestinian to his homeland, his territory, and his home. They can demolish his houses, schools, hospitals, and streets, but they have failed—and will continue to fail—to break the vital bond that unites the Palestinian to his land and his homeland. Love for the homeland and connection to it will not be destroyed, even in the face of all the tons of explosives dropped on Gaza, which have already claimed the lives of more than ten percent of the population.

Palestinians may have their homes, schools, and hospitals demolished, but no one will be able to sever the umbilical cord that binds them to their land and their homeland. Love for their country and attachment to it will not be broken, even in the face of all the tons of explosives dropped on Gaza.

The second moment of joy is seeing the prisoners of freedom breathing a sigh of relief outside the bars, after twenty, thirty, or even forty years of incarceration. Life sentences have been canceled, cells have been opened, and they have left with what remains of their weakened bodies, after years of torture, humiliation, and systematic psychological destruction. Outside, they found their mothers, wives, sons, and daughters—or those who were still alive.

The large displays of joy angered the Zionist authority, which issued orders to prevent the celebration of the return of the freed prisoners. They also enraged the Oslo authorities, who banned the festivities in Beitunia, near the infamous Ofer prison, and even arrested some Al Jazeera correspondents. It is striking to see how low this authority has sunk in the face of the ongoing war of extermination. We are left with a simple and direct question: since September 13, 1993, has the Oslo Authority managed to free any prisoners?

Two unprecedented historical moments in modern times. A people emerging from massacres, filling the streets with chants, as they crawl towards what remains of the walls of their homes, their memories, and their land. Hundreds of prisoners are freed from their cells thanks to the heroic resistance that once promised them the breeze of freedom—and fulfilled its promise.

The war against the Palestinian people continues. We can observe four simultaneous forms of warfare, intertwined in a single objective: to destroy the Palestinian cause once and for all and allow the Zionist entity to take possession of all of Palestine, concluding the Nakba of 1948.

Trump's war against the Palestinian people through displacement.

The issue of displacing Palestinians from their homeland is not new. It has been part of the Zionist project since its inception, defended by its early theorists such as Jabotinsky and Ben-Gurion. Zionist ideology is based on the appropriation of land, the evacuation of its native inhabitants, and the reception of Jews from all over the world, so that the demographic composition becomes exclusively Jewish.

Now, after eight decades, the number of Arabs and Jews is almost equal, and the idea of ​​expelling the Palestinians has become predominant in the thinking of the Israeli far right. This is because allowing the establishment of a Palestinian state is considered taboo, creating a state for all its citizens is seen as a utopia, and maintaining the apartheid system is unsustainable. Thus, the only option left for this line of thinking is forced displacement or so-called "voluntary forced displacement"—a term that suggests voluntariness but which, in practice, occurs under coercion, when all conditions for subsistence are systematically destroyed.

I believe Trump is convinced of this idea or has already reached an agreement with American supporters, especially with Sheldon Adelson's widow. In March 2024, she agreed to provide over $100 million to Trump's election campaign in exchange for the annexation of the West Bank.

The plan now seems clear. Trump's two statements suggesting the relocation of Gaza residents to Egypt and Jordan were not mere slips of the tongue, but rather a harbinger of an imminent strategy. Trump also stated that he expected cooperation from the Egyptian president and the Jordanian king in exchange for the services the United States provides to those two regimes.

This plan can only be thwarted by comprehensive and determined Palestinian resistance, combined with a high level of readiness for confrontation. Furthermore, real and significant support from Jordan and Egypt will be essential, including guarantees that their people have the freedom to publicly express their rejection of this nefarious plan. If the opposition is limited to formal statements from the State Department, Trump and the Zionists in the White House will not take these demonstrations seriously.

The Zionist entity's war in the West Bank

The Zionist army forces, which continue to carry out attacks and killings, launched Operation Iron Wall with the aim of eliminating resistance in the West Bank, the day after the end of operations in Gaza. This operation was the result of an agreement between Netanyahu and Smotrich, guaranteeing that the latter would not withdraw from the government, as Ben Gvir did.

The Zionist army has taken over the mission previously carried out by the Palestinian Authority's security forces, which unsuccessfully attempted to weaken Palestinian resistance. Since then, Israeli forces have perpetrated mass killings, destroyed infrastructure, razed roads, and expanded their operations to various regions, such as Tulkarm, Tubas, Tammun, and eastern Qalqilya. To achieve this, they utilize air power, drones, and missiles, and not a single day goes by without a significant number of deaths.

These operations represent acts of blind revenge for the failure of Israeli extermination forces in Gaza. They failed to eradicate the resistance or free prisoners, except through negotiations. This war, which is expected to continue for weeks or even months, aims to eliminate resistance fighters, in cooperation with Palestinian security services.

However, what Israel fails to understand is that for every martyr who falls, dozens of new fighters emerge to take their place. As former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated, Hamas has managed to replace all its human losses, and new fighters have joined the group in numbers equivalent to those who were killed.

UNRWA ban in occupied Palestinian territory

Another front in the war initiated by Israel, with the full support of the United States, is the attempt to impede the work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Jerusalem and the occupied territories. This prohibition includes restricting any contact between the agency and Israeli authorities, as well as closing its offices in Sheikh Jarrah, transforming that area into yet another Israeli settlement.

This measure is part of a broader strategy of war against Palestinian refugees, aimed at dismantling the right of return and closing schools, clinics, and training institutes maintained by UNRWA. Israel has repeatedly tried to eliminate this agency because it represents a living witness to the 1948 Nakba, the forced displacement of Palestinians from their cities and villages, and their transformation into refugees. However, it was surprised by the fact that these refugees became the torchbearers of resistance, its fuel and driving force, capable of challenging and weakening Zionist arrogance in every confrontation.

The Palestinians, the United Nations, and the countries hosting UNRWA must prepare for the serious consequences of this decision, which could have profound impacts on the humanitarian and political situation in the region.

Arab investments in the Zionist economy

Operation Al-Aqsa Flood had severe repercussions on the Israeli economy. According to estimates by Israeli economists, the financial cost has already reached approximately 50 billion dollars. Furthermore, there are prolonged and successive effects that could destabilize the Israeli economy for a long time.

The tourism sector has completely collapsed, the construction industry has been severely affected, hundreds of technology companies have closed, and investment and economic growth have fallen by 4%. Most surprisingly, however, the Arab countries that have normalized relations with Israel are sustaining the Zionist entity's economy.

Third Eye Systems, an Israeli defense equipment supplier, announced the sale of 30% of its shares to the United Arab Emirates defense company EDGE for $10 million. This was one of the few public investments by the UAE since the start of the war in Gaza 15 months ago. In addition, EDGE announced an additional $12 million investment in a new joint venture with the same Israeli company.

Trade between Egypt and Israel, Jordan and Israel, Morocco and Israel was not interrupted at any point during the war of extermination against the Palestinians. Given this, the question arises: wouldn't anyone who strengthens the Israeli economy ultimately be contributing to its ongoing wars against the Palestinian people?

The truth is that Gaza was the target of a global war and did not raise the white flag. Its dignity remained intact, defying terror and destruction. The second truth is that the Palestinians will continue to resist and defeat their enemies, regardless of who disappoints them. After all, are they not the people of Jerusalem and the surrounding areas?

* This is an opinion article, the responsibility of the author, and does not reflect the opinion of Brasil 247.