Did you know that in the 1970s & 1980s, Israel looted one of the most important Canaanite sites in Gaza, which also was linked to ancient Egypt? The following thread tells the story of how Israeli archaeologists and military looted historical treasures from Deir el-Balah. 1/15 In 1982, National Geographic reported the uncovering of an ancient Canaanite settlement, fortress, and cemetery west of Deir el-Balah City, in the middle of the Gaza Strip. The site, which dates back to more than three millennia, was discovered by archaeologist Trude Dothan.2/15

After Israel's occupation of Gaza in 1967, one of its initial actions was the destruction of the Gaza (Shuja’iyya) train station. This station connected Gaza to the broader Levant region, and after the 1948 Nakba, it still served as a link between Gaza and Egypt.





Israel dismantled the railway and repurposed its iron tracks in the construction of the Bar-Lev Line, a defense barrier on the eastern bank of the Suez, that the Egyptian army crushed during the Liberation War of October 6, 1973.

Over the past decade, my wife and I, alongside family and friends, have devoted ourselves to discussing and writing about Gaza, in the United States and beyond. I've delved into topics like the wars, the blockade, and the daily experiences of Palestinians living there. Most of my time went into not just educating but also emphasizing how the situation was teetering on the edge, warning that a collapse was on the horizon, asserting that Gaza's current state was untenable, and highlighting that we were just moments away from an eruption.

The Nakba in photographs: a thread. After Zionist militias seized Palestinians' homes in al-Ramleh, they separated the men from women and children, and held men behind barbed wire detention camps without basic human rights. Government reports documented incidents of rape and looting in al-Ramleh.

📷Beno Rothenberg

In 2008, as I was returning home from college, I witnessed a brutal Israeli assault on Gaza. I wondered why the world ignores Palestinians & if our voice will ever be heard? 15 years later, I stood in the US Congress, to speak about the plight of Palestinians in Gaza and beyond. I'm grateful to @RepRashida for sponsoring this historic event on Capitol Hill After decades of being silenced and erased, Palestinians finally had the opportunity to speak about their ongoing Nakba in a space that has historically disregarded their voices and suffering.

Let's break down this repulsive message from Ursula von der Leyen, word by word.

https://twitter.com/euinisrael/status/1651088583644594177

Israel did not achieve "independence" in 1948. What occurred was a deliberate campaign of ethnic cleansing and displacement of Palestinians, aimed at re-engineering the demographics and geography of Palestine from an Arab-majority nation to a Jewish-majority one.

It is crucial for everyone to understand the gravity of the current situation between the river and the sea.
We are on the brink of witnessing events that will be unparalleled in their magnitude and ferocity. This chapter will mark the end of the post-Second Intifada period characterized by the cynical management of the occupation, disregard for Palestinians' political rights and lives, and lack of accountability for Israel's actions.

The start of 2023 has been deadly for Palestinians. Since the start of the year, at least 30 Palestinians—including five children—were killed by the Israeli military. In 2022, Israeli forces killed at least 155 Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, including 36 children—more than any other year since 2005.

On this day fourteen years ago, I witnessed a massacre. On my way home from university, I saw the first bombing of Israel's 2008 attack on Gaza. Under this pillar of smoke, dozens lost their lives, and on that day, more than 155 people were murdered by Israeli bombs. The 2008 attack on Gaza marked the beginning of large-scale and intense bombardment campaigns against the Gaza Strip. It was the precedent for the 2012, 2014, and 2021 aggressions. To grasp the scale of 2008, watch this documentary:

Today, an Israeli soldier executed a young Palestinian in broad daylight. Palestinians are sad and angry. These crimes happen daily, especially across cities and villages in the West Bank. As I warned, we're about to witness a new reality in the West Bank and beyond. Since the end of the Second Intifada and after the Palestinian political division of 2006/2007, the West Bank became a site of many experiments of pacification. The international community, the PA, regional forces, and Israel dedicated massive resources to pacify the West Bank.

I met with a member of Congress earlier this year. He asked me what I think of the "two-state solution" and the question of two-states vs. one-state. Here's what happened. I gave him a genuine answer, and I explained that honest Palestinian intellectuals and leaders will not hesitate to show the flaws of this solution. Palestinians reject it on moral and legal grounds and believe that the partition of historic Palestine doesn't guarantee justice.

A ceasefire is welcome, but it isn't enough. It is time to end the blockade. It is time to fully open all of Gaza's crossings. It is time to lift restrictions on imports and exports. It is time for Palestinians in Gaza to have more than 6 hours of electricity a day. It is time for people like me to be able to visit their families whenever they wish. I haven't been able to see my family in eight years. It is time for my family to enjoy clean and fresh water, health care, and freedom of movement.

Twenty one years ago, Palestinians in Gaza and around the world celebrated the opening of the Gaza International Airport (GZA). The airport was able to handle 700,000 travelers a year. Israel destroyed the airport in December 2001, shortly after it opened.





In March 1999, the first flight of the Palestinian Airlines, flown by Palestinian pilot Ibrahim Abu Ghulah.