Omar Shaban: "What do you hope the 20,000 orphans of Gaza will become in the future?"

BarcelonaOmar Shaban, director of PalThink, an independent research center for strategic studies in Gaza, is one of the Gaza Strip's most prominent voices in the international media. From Cairo, he is following the Israeli offensive in Gaza, where a large part of his family still lives. On Saturday, he participated in the workshops. War and peace, organized by Cidob in Barcelona.

Are we at the worst moment of the Gaza war?

— We have dozens, if not hundreds of deaths every day. There are no hospitals, no doctors, no medicine left. There's no food, no water, no fuel. People have already lost almost everything and now have to move again. Imagine having to move ten or twelve times fleeing the bombings. And all for what? To get rid of Hamas? Hamas is just the excuse. It's clear the war is against the people of Gaza. And there's no end in sight. We have more than 20,000 children who have been orphaned. What do you hope they will be in the future?

What are you waiting for?

— They'll be radicals, of course. They've killed their parents, destroyed their homes. They have nothing left. They've been surviving in impossible conditions for 18 months. In Gaza, we had a modern society, and now people have to eat grass. How do you expect them to behave?

How can people survive after a year and a half of bombing and siege?

— In Gaza, which is only 360 square kilometers in area, they have dropped 100,000 tons of explosives, the equivalent of four nuclear bombs like the one dropped on Hiroshima. The United States has sent Israel the most destructive bombs. A single rocket destroyed my family's home and six other houses around it. There are no sewage systems, no schools, no fields, no water treatment plants. Only people remain. We Palestinians are rooted in our land, we have many problems, but we love our country. I am Palestinian, and it has never occurred to me to ask for another passport. I have traveled all over the world, but I have always wanted to return to Palestine. And now I want to return to Gaza. This story did not begin on October 7, 2023. It began 100 years ago. We have resisted for a century, suffered 17 wars or attacks since 2006. Gaza has been where it has been since time immemorial, at the crossroads connecting Europe, Asia, and Africa. Perhaps, on closer inspection, this hasn't made us fortunate, but it is what we are. And it shouldn't be forgotten that two-thirds of the Gaza Strip's population are refugees. Our parents or grandparents were expelled from their homes in 1948 when the State of Israel was created, and from Gaza, you can still see the lands from which they were expelled.

The Palestine Liberation Organization, the First Intifada of 1987, and the Second Intifada of 2001 began there.

— Yes, Gaza has always been very politically active. Also because of the living conditions and the high population density. I don't know why, but we're hot-blooded. Every time a war ends, we're soon cleaning everything up. And while the bombs are falling, we're constantly going to the beach. Israel says we're terrorists, but in Gaza we love life. We want to live.

The United States has long been pressuring Egypt and Jordan to relocate people from Gaza. Recently, Trump and Netanyahu have been talking about other countries, from Sudan to Somaliland. Do you think these ethnic cleansing plans could ultimately work?

— No way. Of course, many people in Gaza now want to leave because they want to be safe and don't see the war ending. But how many can there be? 20,000? 200,000? What reason do people have to go to Somalia, Sudan, or Indonesia, when we're in our country, on the Mediterranean? I myself want to return the day the border opens. We Palestinians aren't ready to leave forever. We want to study in Europe or the United States, but so we can return and grow our land.

How do you interpret the anti-Hamas protests in northern Gaza in recent weeks?

— It's natural. After 15 months of war and two months of ceasefire, people want to stop dying. And they're asking Hamas to release the hostages, but they also know the problem is Israeli employment. The latest protests were widely reported in the Western press, but in reality, there had been protests just as significant before. People want Hamas to be more rational and intelligent in dealing with the conflict, and to not give Netanyahu any excuse to continue the war. People are perfectly aware of the situation: they know that Netanyahu doesn't want to end the war because of his legal problems and to maintain the governing coalition. There is a roadmap for peace, but Netanyahu doesn't want it, so we Palestinians must be smart. A new ceasefire is currently being negotiated, and Netanyahu always confuses us with the details or sends someone without any authority. But Egypt is putting a lot of pressure on Hamas and Israel.

Former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said a few weeks ago that Hamas had recruited more new fighters than it had killed in a year and a half of war.

— How do you expect a 15- or 20-year-old who has lost everything to act? This is what matters to me: the future. The first thing that must be done is to stop the war, and the second is to give hope. The key word is hope. Let people think it won't be immediate, but that in two or three years things will be better. Just to restore the water and electricity infrastructure will take two or three years. I'm not talking about reconstruction, which will be an enormous, complex, and expensive process. The only way to break the cycle is to bring hope: to make people believe they have a future. To think, "They killed my brother, but I can't stay trapped in the past."

Who should rule Gaza?

— Elections must be held. Not only in Gaza, but also in the West Bank. Most Palestinian leaders in the West Bank are over 70 years old... in a society where young people are the vast majority! President Mahmoud Abbas is 85. It's time for him to retire. Elections also have a psychosocial effect: people have the opportunity to decide on their future, which alleviates anger. They have a soothing effect.

But if there are elections, Hamas will win them.

— No, not at all. The Palestinians will bet on a new political leadership. Someone who can act, not just talk. Rebuilding Gaza will cost, according to Egypt's plan, at least $50 billion. The Gulf countries and Europe are willing to contribute, but they are making Hamas's relinquishment of power a condition. And this can happen if we Palestinians opt for a unified leadership. There is hope.

And where is the EU?

— Unfortunately, the EU is playing a very weak role due to its internal divisions. But we are neighbors, and we expect them to do their job as neighbors.