New Article: “The 9/11 I Lived in Gaza”
By Nael Hijjo
September 11, 2026
Published in The Progressive Magazine
One very vivid memory that I will never forget took place on September 11, 2001.
I was fourteen years old, still in middle school, living in a U.N. refugee camp in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. I was home with my family, watching TV on a warm afternoon. Suddenly, the mosque’s loudspeakers began blaring, filling the whole camp with an announcement: “Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar.” Members of Hamas were proclaiming victory over the United States; they said the “devil” had been struck in its heart.
We rushed to change the channel to Al Jazeera. A banner at the bottom of the screen claimed “Breaking News,” accompanied by images and videos of the higher floors of the Twin Towers in New York City tumbling down. As we watched in shock, trucks and SUVs belonging to Hamas began driving through the camp with their speakers on full blast. Party members handed out sweets to people gathering in the streets.
I opened the door of our house and stood in the entrance, turning my head back and forth between the horrific scenes on TV and the Hamas-led celebration outside. The celebration continued late into the night, while my family and I sat in disbelief, trying to understand one question: How could anyone celebrate another person’s tragedy?
I will always remember this moment. I felt deeply sad, and so did everyone at home. My neighbors were confused, worried and saddened. I turned to my mother for an explanation, but she was speechless….
Nael Hijjo
Nael Hijjo is a Palestinian educator and researcher based in the United States. With a doctorate in applied linguistics and intercultural communication, Hijjo served as a Mellon Research Fellow at Columbia University’s Global Centers.