“After my parents were displaced by the Nakba in 1948, that caused the expulsion of 750,000 Palestinians,” she said. “I as an Arab was never able to see my home. The irony is now as an American citizen, I can go back and visit freely.”
Devrow remembers growing up hearing family stories about life in Gaza.
“My understanding is that the climate is beautiful,” she said. “The sea is turquoise. The people are lovely. My father would tell me how rich the culture was. Just like other people all over the world, they enjoyed being a family, going to work, playing after work, having parties on the weekends, just enjoying life as it's supposed to be.”
Devrow says she's lost several loved ones in the Gaza region since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war.
“I don't think I have been able to process it yet, quite frankly,” Devrow said. “If you go to one funeral for a loved one, it takes a lot out of you. So imagine going through 25 funerals, 30 funerals, 45 funerals. I don't think my brain has the capacity to process the loss, and I try to break it down to grieve one person at a time.”
President Trump has stirred up the Middle East with his suggestion that the United States take over Gaza and relocate over 2 million Palestinians. Devrow says she finds these plans unsettling.
“I believe that the President's plan with intent of expelling Palestinians from their land and territories is considered ethnic cleansing, constituting a war crime, violating human rights and international law,” she said. “My friends in Gaza said that they would rather die and meet God than leave Gaza.”
Earlier this week, Hamas said they would postpone the release of the next group of Israeli hostages scheduled for this Saturday. Devrow says she’s unsure what will happen if Hamas does not meet the Saturday deadline.
“What will Hamas do? I don't know,” she said. “Are they going to release the people? I don't know. Are they going to keep them? I honestly don't have the answer, and it's okay not to know. You know, are we going to continue to bomb them and take their land? That's probably the only thing I'm certain of that we are going to continue to do that.”
In a statement, Hamas now says they will release three Israeli hostages by Saturday, but it is unclear if that will be enough to avoid further conflict.
Still, Devrow says her friends and family in Gaza are standing firm.
“I've asked them, would you consider moving to Jordan or to Egypt if they open the border and allow you to cross?” she said. “They said, no, this is our land. This is our home. This is where our olive trees are. This is all we know.”
