Israeli Forced Displacement Engineering and Palestinian Sumūd in Gaza

The ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza has resulted in the widespread killing of innocent civilians, along with the destruction of homes, universities, and critical infrastructure—deepening a humanitarian catastrophe that reflects a broader settler colonial agenda. This study investigates the deliberate strategies of forced displacement engineered by Israel in Gaza, and the corresponding practices of Palestinian sumūd (steadfastness) as forms of resistance. Situated within Settler Colonial Theory by (Patrick Wolfe, 1999), the research critically examines how Israeli military, legal, political, and media tactics function as mechanisms of population transfer and ethnic cleansing aimed at permanent demographic transformation. Drawing on thematic analysis of official Israeli government and military statements, reports from international organizations and media related to Forced Displacement, alongside thirty semi-structured interviews with Palestinians from diverse backgrounds, the study reveals the systematic nature of displacement and the resilience it engenders. Findings demonstrate that forced displacement in Gaza is not merely a wartime consequence but a central strategy of settler-colonial domination, with repeated displacements fracturing Palestinian social fabric and exhausting resistance. Palestinians’ refusal to comply with Israeli evacuation orders and their persistent rebuilding efforts embody sumūd, a powerful grassroots counter-strategy that transforms survival into political resistance. This steadfastness challenges settler-colonial attempts at erasure and asserts an enduring claim to land, identity, and futurity. The study underscores that while sumūd represents essential resilience, it must be supported by international legal accountability and global solidarity to effectively counter the machinery of ethnic cleansing. This research contributes critical insights to settler colonial studies, human rights discourse, and Palestinian resistance narratives, illuminating the urgent need for integrated approaches to halt ongoing displacement and uphold Palestinian rights.