What the People of Palestine are made of

With the onset of the war, fear for the people of Gaza engulfed us because we know the Jewish entity knows no limits whether it comes as international laws or public opinion using banned chemical bombs, crossing all red lines. With their heavy weapons and bombs of all sorts, these are used on the innocents as seen on international news and social media videos and images.

At the very first moment of attack by the Qassam Brigades, the sheer shock that the Palestinians were capable of stunning the ‘Israeli’ Defence Forces – this comes from a highly sensitive agency which has the highest surveillance capacity in the world with their cameras and informants everywhere. This shook the ‘Israeli’ entity to the core and gave the common Palestinians the hope that liberation is possible from occupation. The exhilaration was so real, the celebration that yes ‘Israel’ can be easily defeated!

But of course, the Jewish entity pounded the innocents before finding Qassam or Hamas, massacre after massacre, thousands of arrests in the West Bank and new checkpoints and barricades established to restrict movement and create a panic atmosphere. The situation in the Quds area is worse than the West Bank – here the IDF and officers conduct routine raids on regular people entering public spaces and checking people’s phones at will for any footage or sympathetic replies or posts to the war and Palestinians of course severe beatings follow man or woman or child. People are cautious; deleting anything that might give cause for arrest or assault. Severe repercussions include unannounced home raids, arrests for anyone suspected of being an activist even if it is a quote of ‘Hasbiya Allah wa ni’am Al-Wakeel’ on social media posts not to mention the name of the Aqsa Flood.

But here comes the exposure of the people’s build – a saying in Arabic “what they are made of.” Here the war peeled away the fear and helplessness of the common people. It showed that the people of Palestine are willing to sacrifice the precious and worthy for resisting this blood hungry occupier and even more making one only turn to Allah (swt) as the real Protector the Sole Provider.

People turned to prayer and showed their kids to be strong and resilient … what will happen is written …not to be afraid … death is nothing to be feared because every living thing will die … it is how you die that matters.

Die while saying the truth, defending the Blessed Land of Palestine. Here comes the wisdom and clarity that the real protectors of the occupier are the Arab regimes and the real power to end this war is the Muslim armies who are of the people of the Ummah. They call out to the people of Palestine wanting to defend and liberate them yet their treacherous rulers stop them.

Women here are teaching their kids not to be afraid, being men of men is taught and pushed. Compassion for the weak, not to be afraid of hunger or thirst or being homeless.

Another saying in Arabic – what falls from the sky, the ground will catch- is repeated by the older people.

Children are aware of the war- people here do not shield them which is at first sad but it helps them understand the bombings and comprehend the war. At the masjids each prayer ends with a duaa for Gaza and Palestine, the young and old say Ameen to these duaas.

Some areas hear the bombings and see them and feel them landing due to where some live in the West Bank near Tel Aviv and Jewish settlements. But what is seen from the people, they don’t run and hide or seek shelter like the Jews. Bravery and solidarity for the people living in Jenin, TulKarm and Nablus especially in the camps where the IDF raids with heavily fortified tanks in the tens and tens yet the youth and men go out to face them with stones or basic weapons to protect their people, homes and towns day or night.

Yes war is happening now but so is the creation of heroes and champions who refuse oppression and humiliation.

Palestinians are not crying for food or water or electricity – they know this is pressure to tame them so they refuse this. News clips of people saying don’t send us food or blankets, you keep them – send us the Muslim Armies- here is the break in the dismal cycle and the awareness.

Mothers and fathers on live TV in real time… say Alhamdulilah when their homes are destroyed and children slaughtered. Crying, saying that they will sacrifice their children again and again as it is never in vain … they are Shaheed fee Sabeel Allah. This terrifies the entire Jewish entity and their backers.

Regular people reiterate this has to happen for the world to see the oppression and criminality! Quds will be liberated and all of Palestine as well and people are proud to be from Palestine.

The duaa is pure, the tears sear down the faces of the young and old, the heart breaks over and over. Sometimes numbness tries to creep through but the trust in Allah surges through the body with every prayer jolting the worshipper to make more duaa to strengthen them for the next day and night. The belief in the promise of Allah and the hatred for the Jewish occupation is real. Hasbiya Allah wa Niam Al Wakeel. Indeed victory and liberation is promised by Allah (swt).

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Minnatullah Saleh
A Hopeful Sister from the Blessed Land – Palestine