Under Blockade and Bombardment, Gaza’s Ancient Olive Tree Endures
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| 🌿 “GAZA: The Unbroken Olive Tree” — A mosaic of 5,000 years of resilience, where history lives in every leaf and hope grows from deep roots. 💚 #GazaResilience #UnbrokenSpirit |
In the heart of the Mediterranean, a land smaller than most cities has endured the rise and fall of empires, witnessed the birth of civilizations, and withstood sieges that would have erased lesser peoples from history. Gaza's story is not one of victimhood, but of indomitable spirit.
This is a chronicle of resilience that disturbs the forces of darkness—a testament to how humanity endures against all odds, rooted in its soil like the ancient olive trees that continue to bear fruit amidst the rubble.
Chapter 1: The Crossroads of Civilizations
For over 5,000 years, Gaza's strategic coastal position made it a nexus of empires. Greek historian Polybius documented its people's "irresistible courage" when resisting Antiochus III in 201 BC—a quality echoing through millennia.
Archaeologists have cataloged 354 heritage sites: from Canaanite ports like Tell al-Sakan (3,000 BCE) to the Great Omari Mosque (7th century CE), which housed Ibn Sina's medical texts symbolizing intellectual flourishing.
Strategic Coastal Position (5,000 Years of Continuity)
Geographic advantage.Nestled at the juncture of three continents—Africa, Asia, and Europe—Gaza’s narrow coastal plain has for five millennia served as a pivotal hub for maritime exchange. Harbors such as Tell al-Sakan facilitated the arrival of Mycenaean pottery from Greece, durable cedar timber from Phoenicia, and fertile grain shipments from ancient Egypt. Each laden vessel underscores Gaza’s integral role in the pan-Mediterranean economic network.
Enduring resilience.Despite waves of conquest—from Egyptian pharaohs to Persian satraps and Roman legions—the local inhabitants repeatedly rebuilt fortifications, maintained port infrastructure, and protected terraced farmlands. This continuous regeneration testifies to a communal determination and sophisticated knowledge of engineering and agriculture that empowered survival through centuries of upheaval.
Polybius and the “Irresistible Courage” (201 BCE)
Historical source.In Histories (Book 16), Greek historian Polybius records the 201 BCE siege of Gaza by Antiochus III of the Seleucid Empire. He lauds the city’s defenders—civilians and hired soldiers alike—for repelling siege engines and enduring starvation-level rations rather than capitulate. This account remains a foundational testimony to Gaza’s martial spirit.
Military innovation.Archaeological excavations have uncovered substantial stone ramparts up to 6 meters thick and advanced water cisterns dug deep beneath the ramparts. These cisterns captured seasonal rains and sustained the population during blockades, illustrating how Gazans merged civic engineering with collective resolve to survive protracted sieges.
354 Cataloged Heritage Sites
Tell al-Sakan (c. 3000 BCE). |
| Archaeologists from the Palestinian Department of Antiquities carefully uncover Bronze Age architecture at Tel Es-Sakan, one of Gaza’s oldest urban sites, in a systematic grid excavation revealing walls, floors, and artifacts that illuminate ancient Palestinian heritage. |
Gaza’s earliest urban nucleus, Tell al-Sakan, featured sun-dried brick dwellings, olive oil presses, and foreign ceramics—proof of an active Bronze Age port that anchored Gaza in expansive trade circuits spanning the Levant and Aegean.
Anthedon Harbour
Anthedon
is the first known seaport of Gaza, mentioned in Islamic literature
with the names of Tida, apparently an abbreviation of Anthedon, or
Blakhiyeh. The city was inhabited from 800 BC to 1100 AD, and witnessed a
series of different cultures: Neo-Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, Greek,
Roman, Byzantine and early Islamic rules (Umayyad, Abbasid, Tulunid and
Fatimid).
One km south of the seaport of Anthedon lies the
ancient harbour of Maiumas, then identified with the harbour of Gaza,
which was also continuously populated and became, during the Roman
period, a flourishing and well-developed coastal town. Maiumas, which is
mentioned only in late classical sources, dates back to an earlier
period, at least when the trading with Greece began. “Maiumas” derives
from an Egyptian word, which means “maritime place”.
The
archaeological site of ancient Anthedon has not been precisely
identified: there are several heaps of ruins in the neighbourhoods of
Gaza which have been considered to be the old harbour; however, the site
of Anthedon may probably be identified with a tell located to the north
of Gaza known to the natives as Tida. In the Middle Age, Anthedon was
known for sure as Tida or Taida.
The present site consists of a
variety of elements which spread in the area from the seashore,
including the underwater archaeology, to the inland: the ruins of a
Roman temple and a section of a wall have been uncovered, as well as
Roman artisan and living quarters, including a series of villas,
testifying of the city ofAnthedon. Mosaic floors, warehouses and
fortified structures are found in the area.
The acropolis of
Anthedon shows archaeological remains dated from the late Iron Age II,
Persian, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods. Basically, below the
post-Byzantine level, traces of stone walls of the Roman period were
found, which in turn rest on Hellenistic and Persian levels with
constructions of mud brick. These latter structures, built on the tell’s
summit, consist of an enormous mass of mud bricks, which has been
cleared to a height of 8 metres. It projects towards the sea as a tower,
and its sides are filled with casemate walls.
The excavated site
is about 20 dunums (corresponding to circa 2 ha.) and consists of a 65
metres long mud-brick wall, formerly of the old commercial city centre,
which was part of the eastern extension of the harbour, and other
earthen works. The massive walls, which stretch 30 metres eastwards,
form the coastline to the inner land, display an extraordinary height, 8
m, and thickness, 6 m, and are in a well-preserved state of
conservation. Five sizes of mud bricks (adobe) have been found within
the masonry of the uncovered structures, plastered with earth.
Geographic location:
The
archaeological site of the ancient harbour city of Anthedon is located
along the Mediterranean Sea, in the northwest corner of the Gaza Strip,
in the proximity of the so-called Beach Refugee Camp.
Classical & Hellenistic layers
Under Roman rule, Gaza—then called Anthedon—boasted stone-built theaters with tiered seating for civic gatherings, monumental arches commemorating imperial benefactors, and guild halls where merchants and artisans regulated commerce and craft traditions.
The Great Omari Mosque (7th c. CE)
 |
| Standing as a beacon of heritage, the Great Mosque of Gaza showcases centuries-old stone architecture, a soaring minaret, and a tranquil courtyard—reflecting the city’s enduring spiritual and cultural legacy. |
Erected atop the foundations of a Byzantine basilica, the mosque’s towering colonnade, Kufic inscriptions, and mihrab tile fragments sheltered Islamic scholars and manuscripts—among them medical treatises by Ibn Sina (Avicenna)—cementing Gaza’s reputation as a center for learning during the early Abbasid era.
Intellectual & Cultural Flourishing
Scholarship & libraries.Geographers like al-Mas‘udi (10th c.) detail multiple ‘houses of wisdom’ in Gaza where debates on astronomy, mathematics, and jurisprudence flourished, reflecting a vibrant intellectual milieu connected to Baghdad’s scholarly networks.
Site surveys at Shati refugee camp reveal well-preserved glass bead kilns and ceramic workshops active until the 13th century, highlighting the uninterrupted transmission of artisanal skills even under shifting political dominions.
Living Memory & Oral Traditions
Folk poetry & songs. Gazan families preserve _zajal_—oral epic poems narrating the valiant defense against Crusader sieges (12th c.) and the Ottoman–Mamluk wars (14th c.)—passing these verses down through generations as living history. |
| A vibrant key-shaped sticker blending the Dome of the Rock, olive branch, and wheat with traditional keffiyeh motif and Arabic calligraphy ‘عائدون’ (‘We Will Return’), symbolizing the enduring hope and right of return for Palestinian refugees |
"We're losing not just stones, but the soul of our identity" - Dr. Abdul Latif Abu Hashem of Eyes on Heritage
Historical Timeline
- 3000 BCE Canaanite settlement at Tell al-Sakan
- 332 BCE Conquest by Alexander the Great
- 635 CE Islamic conquest under Caliph Umar
- 1516 Incorporation into the Ottoman Empire
- 1948 The Nakba (Catastrophe)
Chapter 2: The Architecture of Suffering
The 1948 Nakba ("Catastrophe") saw 190,000 Palestinians displaced into Gaza's narrow strip—a crisis engineered into permanence. Israel's 1967 occupation introduced settlements and a deliberate de-development policy, strangling Gaza's economy through trade bans and movement restrictions.
By 2007, a hermetic blockade turned Gaza into what the UN calls "the world's largest open-air prison." Resilience here became synonymous with adaptive preference—a coping mechanism where expectations shrink to match deprivation.
Psychological Impact Studies (2018)
"I saw a child digging through trash for food. He found nothing—no scraps left. That moment captured famine." —Abdelraheem Hamad, IRC worker in Gaza
Chapter 3: The Famine Engineered
In 2025, Gaza faces weaponized starvation. Despite Israel's "tactical pauses," only 220 aid trucks enter daily—far below the 600 needed to avert catastrophe. The results are devastating:
- 470,000 people (22% of Gaza) at starvation risk
- 93 children dead from malnutrition since October 2023
- Hospitals treating infants "too weak to cry"
Aid delivery itself has become lethal. Between May-July 2025, 1,373 Palestinians were killed seeking food near distribution sites.
ويتكوف يعلن قبل قليل أنه لا توجد مجاعة في غزة
— MO (@Abu_Salah9) August 2, 2025
هذه المقطع هو الحقيقة التي يجب أن يعرفها العالم، والتي يجب أن تصل للجميع
الناس تموت جوعاً ويتم اصطيادها بهذا الشكل بهدف التسلية.. لا تسمحوا لهم بنشر الكذب والتضليل.
pic.twitter.com/pZK9Nx2Q7l
Context: While UN officials like Wietcoff claim there is no famine in Gaza, the attached video reveals a grim reality. Palestinians are starving, and some are even targeted for sport as they search for food. This is not disinformation — it is genocide in real time.
"ويتكوف يعلن قبل قليل أنه لا توجد مجاعة في غزة
هذه المقطع هو الحقيقة التي يجب أن يعرفها العالم، والتي يجب أن تصل للجميع
الناس تموت جوعاً ويتم اصطيادها بهذا الشكل بهدف التسلية.. لا تسمحوا لهم بنشر الكذب والتضليل."
Translation:
“Wietcoff just announced that there is no famine in Gaza.
This video is the truth the world needs to know and share.
People are dying of hunger and are being hunted like this — for fun.
Do not let them spread lies and false narratives.”
Aid Delivery Comparison
Chapter 4: The Resistance of Existence
Amidst the rubble, Gazans craft resistance through daily acts:
Healthcare Workers
Performing 40 surgeries daily in overwhelmed field hospitals with minimal equipment and supplies.
Engineers
Like Anas Hilles installing solar desalination units in Khan Younis, bringing water to parched children.
Women Educators
Like Leen Al-Zinati teaching gender studies after losing "countless friends," refusing to grieve publicly to "offer hope".
"International agencies praise our ability to survive inhumanity. But calling starvation 'resilience' converts vulnerability into a virtue that benefits oppressors" —Gaza Academic, 2025
Chapter 5: Cultural Memoricide and Rebirth
Israel's bombardment targets not just bodies but memory. The destruction of cultural repositories—like the historic cemetery in Jabaliya and the archive-rich Palestinian Museum—constitutes memoricide: severing a people from their past.
Yet Palestinians defy this erasure through cultural practices that preserve their identity:
- Farmers still use the term Zira'a Ba'aliya (rain-fed agriculture), invoking Baal, the Canaanite rain god
- Refugees carry ancestral keys as symbols of return
- Artists paint murals on bombed buildings, declaring "We are roots, not rubble"
The Key of Return
For generations, Palestinian families have safeguarded keys to homes lost in 1948 — powerful emblems of their right to return and unbroken hope.
Chapter 6: The World's Complicity
The international community oscillates between aid and apathy:
🇩🇪 Germany
Funds airdrops while supplying Israel arms used in military operations.
🇺🇳 UN Agencies
Fight Hamas' alleged aid theft despite Israeli admissions of arming Gazan gangs to divert supplies.
🕊️ International Response
The IRC warns that blocking aid during famine constitutes a war crime, yet Western leaders still veto ceasefires.
"They bomb us, then call us resilient. They starve us, then admire our hunger. They erase us, then study our ruins." —Gaza Poet
Epilogue: The Olive Tree in the Rubble
In the ruins of a bombed neighborhood in northern Gaza, an ancient olive tree stands—its trunk scarred by shrapnel, its roots gripping the shattered earth. For centuries, this tree has witnessed empires rise and fall, survived droughts and wars, and continued to bear fruit.
This tree is Gaza. Scorched but not consumed. Uprooted but regrowing. A symbol of life that refuses to surrender to darkness. As long as its roots remain, there is hope. As long as its people remember, there is a future.
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