Struggle and Solidarity: Writing Toward Palestinian Liberation

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With the escalation of shelling in southern Lebanon since early March 2026, hundreds of thousands of Lebanese once again find themselves in a cycle of forced displacement. Official estimates indicate that more than 1 million people were forced to leave their homes within just the first few weeks, marking one of the fastest waves of displacement the country has experienced in decades. In this shifting reality, the crisis cannot be captured by numbers alone; it extends into intertwined human stories of families losing stability, mothers searching for shelter, and elderly people left to face hardships alone.

With every new wave of displacement, the same experience is repeated in different forms. For those who have lived through displacement before, these scenes are not unfamiliar. As a Palestinian from Gaza, I know well what it means to leave your home without knowing whether you will return or what will become of it. In such moments, the street becomes a temporary shelter, the ground becomes an open bed, and a deep sense of disorientation takes hold as multitudes of displaced people find themselves without a clear destination. The suffering becomes even more severe when children or elderly people are involved, as they are less able to endure constant movement and harsh conditions.

In southern Lebanon, specifically in the town of Nabatieh, a family of six — a father, a mother, and their four children — was forced to leave their home abruptly after evacuation leaflets were circulated in their area amid intensified shelling. They had no time to make a considered decision; they quickly gathered basic belongings and placed them in their car, not knowing where they were heading.

The mother, Yara Qanou, said the moment of departure came after heavy shelling intensified around the family, with shells landing close to their building. “The sound was very close, and everything was shaking around us,” she recalled. Fear was no longer a possibility but a daily reality. She witnessed painful scenes, with injured people lying nearby while rescue teams struggled to reach them amid chaos and panic. “I couldn’t bear it … I was afraid for my children,” she said, noting that she decided to leave immediately.

Despite leaving, Qanou still felt a strong attachment to her home, adding: “If I were given a choice, I would stay in my house … steadfast.” But between the desire to stay and the fear for her children, the decision was final — leaving, even toward an unknown........

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