The plight of the Mar’i and Zbeidat families in Tulkarem, occupied West Bank, illustrates the profound resilience of Palestinians amid ongoing adversity. Faced with displacement and the struggles of daily life, these families reveal not only the immediate impacts of displacement but also the long-reaching effects of their experiences as refugees. As they navigate their current hardships, the broader narratives of survival and hope emerge—highlighting the unwavering strength of Palestinian identity and community ties.
Tulkarem, Occupied West Bank – Hakim Mar’i spends his days on a single bed with his disfigured leg raised, confined in a dilapidated apartment that lacks basic necessities. Poorly insulated and dimly lit by the daylight filtered through covered windows, this is just the latest temporary shelter for Mar’i and his family. Once proud residents of the Tulkarem refugee camp—a community that was meant to be a transient refuge—they now find their home replaced by rubble.
Life has become quite the challenge for the Mar’i family. With mounting debts and looming eviction threatening their uncertain future, Hakim has contemplated taking his own life over the last year and a half. Suffering from a debilitating leg injury that has worsened due to severe infections, Mar’i cannot afford medical treatment. The injury stemmed from an accident while he worked as a laborer in Israel in 2019, exacerbated after Israeli soldiers forcibly removed his family from their home in the camp. Besides the injury, untreated diabetes and other medical conditions, he laments that his children suggest he find treatment abroad, expressing, “I’m a sick man.”
His mother, Salwa, sits nearby, mourning the loss of their former four-story home, built painstakingly over years since being displaced in 1948 from al-Khudayra, now in Israel. “We really put a lot into that house,” she says, reflecting the emotional weight of their lost heritage. Tragically, their home was demolished to pave the way for a road within the now-emptied camp. The uprooting of the Mar’i family is emblematic of larger patterns observed in the recent military developments, which have forcibly displaced over 33,000 Palestinians from refugee communities in the West Bank, according to the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.
The systematic destruction of homes in these camps marks the most significant instance of forced displacement since the occupation began in 1967. Satellite imagery analyzes reveal that 20% of buildings across the Jenin, Nur Shams, and Tulkarem camps have been destroyed, while another 28% have incurred damage. “The level of destruction we are seeing is severe and unprecedented,” stated Roland Friedrich, UNRWA’s director of West Bank affairs. Over 85% of those displaced are now without regular income, adding to the difficulty of housing insecurity.
UNRWA continues to advocate for the rights of the displaced residents, stressing their need for a return and restoration of their communities. As funding shortages impede UNRWA’s capacity to provide adequate assistance, many families face increasing psychological and financial distress. Friedrich noted a rise in gender-based violence and mental health challenges linked to economic strain, declaring, “We’re already at the brink now.”
Struggling alongside the Mar’is, the Zbeidat family, also uprooted from the Tulkarem camp, faces imminent eviction from their current residence in the sparsely populated Dhinnaba neighborhood. Khadija Zbeidat, who now shares a small room with nine family members, reflects on their previous life in the camp with nostalgia and longing. The warmth of community bonds and shared meals now feels like a distant memory.
With the humanitarian emergency extending into nearly two years, families are increasingly relying on the informal support provided by landlords and shopkeepers, arranging for rent-free stays and credit for basic necessities. However, as the situation remains prolonged, their patience thins, leaving families like the Mar’is and Zbeidats on the brink of desperation.
Khadija holds on to hope for a return to the Tulkarem camp, though she acknowledges the difficult reality that her children may inherit an even more precarious future. Trapped in a cycle of displacement, these families exemplify the enduring spirit of resilience that characterizes the Palestinian experience, ultimately emphasizing their profound connection to home, community, and identity.
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