“My hope for the future remains steadfast, even if everything around me encourages me to despair. I dream of freedom. I dream of a dignified life. I dream of achieving my professional ambitions. This is what keeps me going, and I won’t give up.”
Asaad Nateel is a 21-year-old Palestinian born in the Gaza Strip. His family’s roots trace back to the city of al-Majdal, an ethnically-cleansed Palestinian village where the Israeli city of Ashkelon now stands. His grandparents were made refugees during the Nakba (1948-49), the catastrophe that marked the beginning of a long journey of exile. They lived in refugee camps where life was hard, uncertain, and full of challenges, but they never lost hope of returning to the land that was taken from them.
Asaad grew up only knowing borders, closed crossings, and warplanes that never left the skies. He grew up amid recurring wars. Every few years, fighting would resume, bringing with it more destruction and more grief.
Despite this, Asaad’s optimism for a life beyond the walls has not diminished.
Learn more about Asaad’s work, the Zines for Falastin Project, and how you can get a copy of “I Dream of Freedom” by clicking here.