The Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt partially reopened this week after two years of Israeli-imposed closure, allowing a limited number of Palestinians to leave for medical treatment abroad. However, many elderly Palestinians have chosen to remain in Gaza, viewing their decision as an act of resistance and a connection to their homeland. Among them is 73-year-old Kefaya al-Assar, who has been displaced multiple times during Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza and now shelters in a school in Nuseirat. Despite health issues and the destruction of her home in Jabalia, she insists on staying, saying she would rather die on her land than seek treatment abroad.

The reopening of Rafah is part of the second phase of a Gaza ceasefire, though Israeli attacks continue. Amnesty International and HelpAge International report that elderly Gazans face a severe physical and mental health crisis due to Israel’s blockade of aid and medicine. Their research found that most elderly people live in tents, lack access to medication, and often skip meals. Despite these hardships, many, like 85-year-old Nazmeya Radwan, refuse to leave Gaza, citing lifelong displacement since the 1948 Nakba.

The persistence of elderly Palestinians to remain underscores both the humanitarian crisis and the enduring attachment to their homeland amid ongoing conflict and devastation.