In brief
In his poignant recollection, Ayish Younis shares the harrowing memories of fleeing his village during the 1948 war and his recent experiences of forced displacement due to ongoing conflict in Gaza. Now living in a tent at 89, Younis expresses skepticism about Gaza’s future, emphasizing the overwhelming challenges of reconstruction and the emotional toll on his family.
I rode away on a camel with my grandmother, along a sandy road, and I started to cry. Ayish Younis is describing the worst moment of his life – he still regards it as such, even though it was 77 years ago, and he has lived through many horrors since.
In 1948, during the first Arab-Israeli war, Ayish was 12 and fled his home in the village of Barbara, known for its lush agriculture. We were scared for our lives, he recalls. We had no means to fight the Jews, so we all started to leave. This journey led him to the Gaza Strip, where he has lived ever since.
Now, at the age of 89, Younis finds himself once again displaced, forced to evacuate his home in Rafah due to Israeli military actions. His home, a once-structured apartment, was destroyed, leaving him to reside in a small canvas tent with his family.
“We returned to what we started with,” he says, expressing a somber realization of his life coming full circle. His family now cooks on open fires and uses scarce canned water for washing, as they grapple with limited resources.
Despite a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, Younis remains pessimistic. “I don’t believe Gaza has any future,” he states. He fears that the extensive destruction of infrastructure and community ties will hinder any hope for genuine reconstruction.
His reflections extend beyond personal loss. Ayish speaks to the broader plight of Gazans, particularly the younger generation: “An entire generation has been destroyed by this war... We simply don’t know what the future holds.”
Through his family's struggles, they have witnessed the devastating cycles of conflict repeatedly overshadow their lives. Ayish dreams of a time when he can return to Barbara, the place he once called home, a longing that embodies the complex narratives of displacement and survival for many Palestinians.
