Life in northern Gaza is marked by extreme hardship—there is no access to clean water, no electricity, and the landscape is dominated by rubble, leaving scarce space even for tents.

Despite these dire conditions, over half a million Palestinians have returned to the region in the past week, according to local authorities. Determined to remain and rebuild, they are undeterred by U.S. President Donald Trump’s suggestion that they should leave Gaza to make way for a so-called Middle Eastern “riviera.”

“I don’t think people should be going back to Gaza,” Trump remarked during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday. “Why would they want to return? The place has been hell.” This was the second time in just over a week that Trump publicly suggested Palestinians should vacate Gaza.

His comments have sparked widespread condemnation globally and provoked outrage among Palestinians in Gaza.

Amir Karaja, speaking to while repairing the remains of his home in the Nuseirat camp, declared, “I’d rather eat rubble than be forced to leave my homeland. This is our land, and we are its rightful owners. Neither Trump nor anyone else can uproot us from Gaza.”

Nearby, Iyam Jahjouh stood amid the ruins of her heavily damaged home and echoed this sentiment. “We will not leave our land or our homes, despite the destruction. We are here to stay,” she insisted. Although her modest house has lost its roof and several walls, leaving her with just one makeshift room, she refuses to consider relocation. “Why should I leave my country? To go to Egypt or Jordan? No. We will pitch tents if we have to, but we will not abandon our land. We are not afraid of Trump’s or Netanyahu’s threats.”

Approximately 70% of Gaza’s 2.1 million residents are registered as refugees by the United Nations, many of whom are descendants of Palestinians displaced during the 1948 Nakba, when around 700,000 people were expelled or fled during the establishment of Israel. They have been barred from returning to their ancestral homes.

This history of forced displacement fuels the determination of many Palestinians to resist any attempts at a repeat, no matter the current hardships. Ahmad Safi, a vegetable vendor in Khan Younis, a city devastated by Israeli bombardment, stated, “It’s impossible to move people out of Gaza. After enduring bombardment, starvation, and loss, we won’t leave easily. We’d rather suffer here than live in luxury elsewhere.”

Awatef Abu Sitta voiced similar resilience: “Our homes are destroyed, rain leaks in, the cold seeps through, but we will stay. Even if they offer us castles and villas, we won’t leave our land.”

Since the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel took effect last month, many displaced residents have been returning to the remnants of their homes. The Gaza Government Media Office reported that around 500,000 displaced Palestinians—nearly a quarter of Gaza’s population—returned to the devastated northern region within 72 hours after Israeli forces allowed their passage.

For many, returning home is a source of joy despite the destruction. Saleh Al-Sawalha from Jabalya in northern Gaza , “Palestinians are a people who refuse to give up.”