Opinion: Rafah became my home after displacement. It is now being erased
Before October 2023, Rafah – a city covering nearly one-fifth of the Gaza Strip – was home to 350,000 residents. During the war, it gained international visibility as a supposed safe zone for one million displaced Palestinians.
My family and I had also experienced displacement and sought refuge near Rafah after losing our home more than 20 years ago. It was not my childhood home, but it became a place I grew to cherish.
Despite viral social media posts urging the world to keep “all eyes on Rafah” – in the belief that international scrutiny might deter Israel from targeting vulnerable families sheltering in tents – the world has chosen to turn a blind eye and leave Rafah to an unknown fate.
But the destruction of a place does not erase its memory or the traces of life left behind by those who called it home.
