Palestinians from Gaza City gathered in protest on Monday against the Israeli army's plan to take over Gaza City and transfer the population southward. Until this point in the war, the 700,000 residents of Gaza City have not faced displacement, and it is now home to an additional half a million Palestinians displaced from Gaza's north.

The demonstration took place at the Saraya junction in the Zeitoun neighborhood, an area that has faced some of the heaviest Israeli bombardment in recent weeks. On Friday, the Israeli army announced an expansion of its operations in Zeitoun and ground forces began operating in the area, as part of preparations to take over Gaza City, which includes the transfer of its population southward.

Local calls for participation in the protest spread rapidly on Sunday night through Facebook pages run by residents of different Gaza City neighborhoods. The posts carried strong language emphasizing Palestinian ownership of the land and rejecting what community leaders describe as a looming campaign of forced displacement that would affect tens of thousands.

One protester told Hebron University's Radio Alam that “The solution lies in taking to the streets and confronting reality. Your voice in the square is louder, stronger, and far more effective in shaping the present and building the future. The homeland is greater than all of us.

“No to displacement, no to forced expulsion, yes to what remains of our city and our people,” he continued. “We will not authorize anyone to decide our fate on our behalf — our destiny is in our own hands. It is time for this war to end, it is time for the bleeding to stop.”

Another participant representing the city's commercial sector, also speaking with Radio Alam, said that he is representing “the commercial, industrial, and agricultural sectors to deliver a final and urgent message to the international community: stop the genocide against Gaza.

“Despite the tens of thousands of martyrs in the Strip, we are issuing this last call to halt extermination and displacement before it is too late,” he added.

In a post circulated on Facebook by residents of Gaza City's Sabra neighborhood ahead of the protest, organizers called on "all the free people of Gaza" to join in a unified march to defend their right to remain in their homes.

"We are the rightful owners of this land, and no one else has any claim to it," the post read. "We categorically reject forced displacement. We call on the international community to shoulder its humanitarian and legal responsibilities to stop this crime against the people of Gaza."

It outlined a set of demands, including international intervention to halt what they described as an unfolding displacement plan and broader media coverage to spotlight the community's plight.

"Any displacement will affect everyone without exception, and we cannot accept it under any circumstances," it added. The post concluded with a vow: "We remain on our land, steadfast in our homes, and committed to our rights."

Another Facebook post shared by residents of the once-upscale Rimal neighborhood framed the situation as part of a wider historical struggle, directly invoking the memory of the 1948 Nakba ("catastrophe" in Arabic) — in which over 700,000 Palestinians were expelled or fled from their homes amid the creation of the Jewish state and the first Arab-Israeli war.

"Today we face a dangerous conspiracy aimed at uprooting us from our land and pushing us into forced displacement, just as happened in 1948," the Rimal statement declared. "The occupation is betting on breaking our will and emptying Gaza of its people, but we know that steadfastness is the strongest weapon against these schemes."

The Rimal neighborhood post warned of the risks of displacement: the loss of land, homes, and identity, and the repetition of a historic catastrophe for future generations. It called on residents to hold fast to their land "no matter how severe the conditions," and to strengthen solidarity among families and refugee camps to withstand the crisis.

It ended with a defiant message to residents: "You are the first line of defense for our dignity and our right to live on our land. Do not allow a new Nakba. Your strength is in your steadfastness, and the hopes of the entire nation rest upon you. Gaza was and will remain a symbol of dignity and freedom, and it will not break no matter how many conspiracies multiply."

The hashtags #GazaWillNotLeave and #NakbaWillNotRepeat spread widely alongside the post.

The protest comes the day after the IDF approved its operational plans for the takeover of Gaza City, including the transfer of the 1.2 million Palestinians who live there, sparking wider fears of more mass displacement across the Gaza Strip.

In recent weeks, international aid groups and human rights organizations have warned that the conditions in the Strip — mass displacement, food shortages, and the destruction of infrastructure — risk creating scenarios that could push residents out of Gaza altogether.

Residents and community organizers in Gaza City say Monday's march is intended not only as a show of defiance but also as a call to the international community. "We demand urgent and immediate action before what remains of Gaza is lost," the Sabra statement urged.