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AMIDST THE RUINS, FLOWERS BLOOM: THE RESILIENCE OF GAZA’S WOMEN  
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Nisreen Morqus
March 8, 2025
Morning Star
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_ Despite facing destruction, humiliation, and the loss of loved
ones, Palestinian mothers and daughters demonstrate extraordinary
courage as they struggle to create normalcy from the ruins of their
former lives. _

, Photo: Rawani Anani

 

A few days ago, I came across a photo published online, taken by a
Gazan citizen. The image captured blooming buds and flowers sprouting
from the rubble of homes that had been destroyed by Israeli bombs and
missiles in the Gaza Strip.

It was a picture laden with deep meaning — perhaps these flowers had
taken root in the blood of the martyrs, the children and women who had
fallen victim to this brutal war that left nothing untouched in Gaza,
Jabalia, and the rest of the Strip’s cities.

These blooming buds compelled me to write about the hope that the
women and girls of Gaza continue to embody — hope that has emerged
and continues to rise from beneath the rubble and destruction.

These women, the daughters of my people, have borne and continue to
bear immense suffering and the pain of loss. They have lost their
children, partners, and siblings. Their homes have been destroyed,
their loved ones have disappeared, and they have endured fear and
starvation in tents under the harshest conditions. Yet, they have not
ceased to fight for life.

We see them in news broadcasts and on social media platforms,
returning to what was once their home, to their loved ones and
neighbours, determined to rebuild, even as they remain uncertain of
what awaits them.

They walk on foot, carrying their children, displacement bags, and
whatever little they can salvage, leaving us to wonder: where do they
find such resilience and determination? How do they summon the
strength to persist and strive for the return of a “normal” life
despite all this devastation?

The Israeli occupation forces were not content with mere killing and
destruction. They made sure to showcase the so-called “morality”
of their army as well. Videos circulated on social media showed
soldiers boasting about executing orders of killing, demolishing
homes, and wreaking havoc.

Others documented soldiers occupying abandoned houses, turning them
into military barracks, flipping them upside down. But what was even
more repulsive and sickening was their brazen display of violations
— mocking the sanctity of Palestinian homes, turning their abuses
into crude “comedic” performances by wearing women’s underwear
and ridiculing them, shamelessly posting these acts on social media.

We cannot erase from our minds the images of the women who fell victim
to this war. The most haunting images in my memory, more than 500 days
into this war, are those of slain children and women, of hospital
corridors — still standing despite being targeted — stained with
the blood of the martyrs, echoing with the wails of the bereaved.

Meanwhile, surviving children wander among the corpses and wounded as
if such scenes have become a routine part of their daily lives. These
images will stay with them forever, scarring them in ways that no-one
can undo.

How will mothers cope with the trauma they and their children have
endured? How can one console a mother forced to bid farewell to her
sick children as they leave for treatment in Egypt, knowing she is
forbidden from accompanying them? Her tears, her pain, and the agony
of all Gaza’s women have been completely ignored by Israeli media,
which obediently follows government directives to strip every
Palestinian of their humanity, justifying and celebrating their
killing.

Since the ceasefire agreement was announced and displaced families
began returning north to whatever remained of their homes, countless
videos have surfaced, documenting the heartbreaking moments of their
return. Some have found their homes still standing but riddled with
shrapnel. Others have found remnants of walls, offering some semblance
of shelter for their families. But many have returned to nothing but
piles of rubble where their homes once stood.

I watch these videos with anticipation and deep emotion, as if
searching for hope and strength in the resilience of a people who have
endured unimaginable suffering. A woman comforts her husband as he
stands in shock before the ruins of their home, telling him,
“Alhamdulillah, at least the walls are still there.” Another woman
shares a video of herself “cleaning” what remains of her home,
writing, “Even in its destruction, even with nothing left, we are
content, patient, and happy — whether in a shattered room or amidst
the ruins.”

But no amount of strength, hope, or optimism can mask the scale of
this tragedy or the horrors of a war unlike any the world has ever
seen. An occupation so ruthless that it has even targeted the unborn,
treating the foetuses in their mother’s wombs as threats to be
eliminated!

This war was not just a military assault; it was an assault on life,
dignity, and hope. When we recall how this war began — with bombings
targeting universities, hospitals, infrastructure, and large
residential buildings, killing over 17,000 children — we understand
that the goal was never just destruction. It was an attack on the very
spirit, resilience, and indomitable will of the Palestinian people. It
was an attempt to extinguish a dream they have failed to erase.

Yet, despite all this devastation, just as flowers bloom from the
ruins, Palestinians rise from the ashes. They carry their wounds,
their memories, and rebuild their lives against all odds.

They desperately need our support — support from us here, from our
people everywhere, and from the nations of the world that refuse to
align with the imperialist ambitions of Trump, Netanyahu, and their
capitalist allies, who dream of “cleansing Gaza,” buying it out,
and turning it into a luxury resort for the wealthy. Or perhaps
fulfilling the zionist colonial dream of Smotrich, Ben Gvir, and their
ilk, seizing the last remaining Palestinian lands.

Gaza will continue to bloom. Its women and girls will remain symbols
of resilience, determined to reclaim life from beneath the rubble.

_Nisreen Morqus is general secretary of the Movement of Democratic
Women in Israel._

* International Women's Day
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* Palestinian women
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* Gaza
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