Haidar Eid on writing about Gaza: ‘Resistance means existence'
In December 2023,
He left his extended family behind, including his brother and sister, as well as his colleagues at the university where he worked. He has lost 65 relatives, 38 colleagues and many students since
Eid said he hesitated to check his WhatsApp out of fear of learning of another loss of a loved one stuck in the throes of Israel's genocide in
He refers to it as an 'incremental genocide' in his latest book, Banging on the Walls of the Tank: Dispatches from Gaza, a reference to a form of resistance through people writing their own narrative.
Eid is an academic in literature and cultural studies. He used to teach at the Al Aqsa University in Gaza, Palestine, before it was turned to rubble. He obtained a PhD from the University of Johannesburg and is an associate professor at the University of Pretoria.
His latest book is a collection of essays and articles he wrote and published during the Israeli onslaught on Gaza and the 'hermetic blockade' that was imposed on it since 2007. It follows his 2023 book,
Decolonising the Palestinian Mind
, and his 2017 publication,
Worlding Post-modernism
.
He draws on the South African experience with apartheid to inform his framework of Israel's system of oppression of Palestinians, which he said has reached new heights of injustice and dehumanisation.
'Occupation is only one form of oppression of the Palestinian — you have occupation, you have apartheid and you have settler colonialism, and now you have genocide.'
He explains in his book, which chronicles his experiences from the 22-day war in January 2009 to his reflections in October 2024 (one year after the 7 October attack) of how Israel has managed to convince the international community not to do anything.
The 22-day war started on 27 December 2008 and ended on 18 January 2009 — and was the cause of the deaths of 1 300 Palestinians, including children, women, medics, journalists, foreigners and older people.
Eid recalled the moment Israel launched an attack.
'It was 11:10 and I was driving past the peace headquarters in Gaza. Ten minutes after that, they attacked. Had I been 10 minutes late, you know, what would have happened?
'They attacked, and they chose the time when there were school shifts — so kids were leaving school and that's why so many children got killed; 270 people within three minutes got killed — that continued for 22 days.'
Eid is also one of the founders of the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and he argues in his book about the movement's strength and ability to isolate Israel and grant Palestinians their basic human rights.
Their three demands are: the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, the implementation of the United Nations resolution calling for the right of return and the end of apartheid in Israel and the end of racist laws.
The BDS movement, and the global recognition of Palestinian struggles and rights, which was also signalled by South Africa's case at the International Court of Justice and the election of Zohran Mamdani into the New York State Assembly in June — a vocal supporter of Palestine's right to exist — have inspired Eid to conclude Palestine is having its South African moment.
He said the Sharpeville massacre on 21 March 1960, when police opened fire on protesters, killing 69 people, was South Africa's watershed moment, which gave momentum to the global boycott and divestment movement against the country's oppressive regime, and soon, that will be the case for Gaza.
Banging on the Walls of the Tank traverses the attacks that happened in 2012, 2014 and again in 2017 — when he joined the Great March of Return.
He recalls in his book the losses he had to endure, including his parents, who both died in 2005, his neighbours and their children, his students and colleagues at the universities where he taught; and many of these were even before the 7 October attack.
He remembered the moment he spoke to one of his students just three hours before he was killed.
'They were doing their master's and they had two little babies. They had left their house in Jabalia in the north and moved with his in-laws to a refugee camp, and then they killed him together with his in-laws and his daughters and his wife.'
Visibly heartbroken as he went through the lists of people who died as a result of Israel's attack on Palestine, he said he still has the hope of returning to his village, Zarnuqa, one day.
'I'm a refugee. My parents, before 1948 they were living in a village called Zarnuqa. Both of my parents died in 2005. I was not allowed to go to the funeral because I was not in Gaza.
'My father died in January, my mother died in May, both dreaming of the day when they would return to their village. If you come now and ask my two little kids, just like this, 'Where are you from?', they would say, 'I'm from Zarnuqa.' They inherit this concept of right of return and this is what gives me hope.'
He said his writing about his experiences with Israel's regime is both a tool of resistance and remembrance.
'To be able to write, it's important to give a voice to the voiceless. This is not my personal story. It's a story of every single Palestinian.
'For us, resistance means existence. Existence means resistance, it's mutual. For us to exist, we have to resist. We are resisting because we want to exist.'
Eid said that as a matter of principle, he never wanted to leave Gaza; but he did so for the sake of his children.
And now he watches everyday as his home disappears into the dust.
He said he has 'survivor's guilt' but what is crucial for him now is to keep amplifying the story of Gaza, the resilience of Palestinians and to fight for its right to exist as a sovereign state.
'In other words, I'm using international law as a tool of struggle in my search for freedom and equality; and this way, if you noticed, when you asked me about BDS, I said: freedom, equality and justice. Equality. That's the solution to apartheid.'
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Mail & Guardian
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Haidar Eid on writing about Gaza: ‘Resistance means existence'
From the margin: Academic and author Haidar Eid is a refugee from Gaza and uses his writing to tell the story of oppression and genocide. In December 2023, He left his extended family behind, including his brother and sister, as well as his colleagues at the university where he worked. He has lost 65 relatives, 38 colleagues and many students since Eid said he hesitated to check his WhatsApp out of fear of learning of another loss of a loved one stuck in the throes of Israel's genocide in He refers to it as an 'incremental genocide' in his latest book, Banging on the Walls of the Tank: Dispatches from Gaza, a reference to a form of resistance through people writing their own narrative. Eid is an academic in literature and cultural studies. He used to teach at the Al Aqsa University in Gaza, Palestine, before it was turned to rubble. He obtained a PhD from the University of Johannesburg and is an associate professor at the University of Pretoria. His latest book is a collection of essays and articles he wrote and published during the Israeli onslaught on Gaza and the 'hermetic blockade' that was imposed on it since 2007. It follows his 2023 book, Decolonising the Palestinian Mind , and his 2017 publication, Worlding Post-modernism . He draws on the South African experience with apartheid to inform his framework of Israel's system of oppression of Palestinians, which he said has reached new heights of injustice and dehumanisation. 'Occupation is only one form of oppression of the Palestinian — you have occupation, you have apartheid and you have settler colonialism, and now you have genocide.' He explains in his book, which chronicles his experiences from the 22-day war in January 2009 to his reflections in October 2024 (one year after the 7 October attack) of how Israel has managed to convince the international community not to do anything. The 22-day war started on 27 December 2008 and ended on 18 January 2009 — and was the cause of the deaths of 1 300 Palestinians, including children, women, medics, journalists, foreigners and older people. Eid recalled the moment Israel launched an attack. 'It was 11:10 and I was driving past the peace headquarters in Gaza. Ten minutes after that, they attacked. Had I been 10 minutes late, you know, what would have happened? 'They attacked, and they chose the time when there were school shifts — so kids were leaving school and that's why so many children got killed; 270 people within three minutes got killed — that continued for 22 days.' Eid is also one of the founders of the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and he argues in his book about the movement's strength and ability to isolate Israel and grant Palestinians their basic human rights. Their three demands are: the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, the implementation of the United Nations resolution calling for the right of return and the end of apartheid in Israel and the end of racist laws. The BDS movement, and the global recognition of Palestinian struggles and rights, which was also signalled by South Africa's case at the International Court of Justice and the election of Zohran Mamdani into the New York State Assembly in June — a vocal supporter of Palestine's right to exist — have inspired Eid to conclude Palestine is having its South African moment. He said the Sharpeville massacre on 21 March 1960, when police opened fire on protesters, killing 69 people, was South Africa's watershed moment, which gave momentum to the global boycott and divestment movement against the country's oppressive regime, and soon, that will be the case for Gaza. Banging on the Walls of the Tank traverses the attacks that happened in 2012, 2014 and again in 2017 — when he joined the Great March of Return. He recalls in his book the losses he had to endure, including his parents, who both died in 2005, his neighbours and their children, his students and colleagues at the universities where he taught; and many of these were even before the 7 October attack. He remembered the moment he spoke to one of his students just three hours before he was killed. 'They were doing their master's and they had two little babies. They had left their house in Jabalia in the north and moved with his in-laws to a refugee camp, and then they killed him together with his in-laws and his daughters and his wife.' Visibly heartbroken as he went through the lists of people who died as a result of Israel's attack on Palestine, he said he still has the hope of returning to his village, Zarnuqa, one day. 'I'm a refugee. My parents, before 1948 they were living in a village called Zarnuqa. Both of my parents died in 2005. I was not allowed to go to the funeral because I was not in Gaza. 'My father died in January, my mother died in May, both dreaming of the day when they would return to their village. If you come now and ask my two little kids, just like this, 'Where are you from?', they would say, 'I'm from Zarnuqa.' They inherit this concept of right of return and this is what gives me hope.' He said his writing about his experiences with Israel's regime is both a tool of resistance and remembrance. 'To be able to write, it's important to give a voice to the voiceless. This is not my personal story. It's a story of every single Palestinian. 'For us, resistance means existence. Existence means resistance, it's mutual. For us to exist, we have to resist. We are resisting because we want to exist.' Eid said that as a matter of principle, he never wanted to leave Gaza; but he did so for the sake of his children. And now he watches everyday as his home disappears into the dust. He said he has 'survivor's guilt' but what is crucial for him now is to keep amplifying the story of Gaza, the resilience of Palestinians and to fight for its right to exist as a sovereign state. 'In other words, I'm using international law as a tool of struggle in my search for freedom and equality; and this way, if you noticed, when you asked me about BDS, I said: freedom, equality and justice. Equality. That's the solution to apartheid.'
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