Bracelets from Al-Belad, as featured on its Instagram page

When war comes, it does not ask who is ready. It does not care for dreams, or ambitions. Nor does it care for homes carefully built over generations, and the innocent laughter of children in the streets. It simply takes everything

Youssef Hussein Mahmoud Soultan, an ambitious young Palestinian from Gaza who is in his final year of high school, knows this all too well. In a matter of days, he lost everything: his warm home, his peaceful life, and even his entrepreneurial business. Youssef wanted to build a better life for himself and had set up a shop sourcing and selling unique socks in Gaza, which was called the Socks Store.

But when the war started, he was forced to abandon this enterprise. He fled Gaza with nothing but a suitcase filled with the rubble of his destroyed home and the weight of his shattered dreams. His only goal was survival and to escape the looming threat of genocide. He managed to successfully escape to Egypt.

Youssef in Egypt (far right). Photo: Youssef Soultan

But exile carries a burden of its own. As soon as Youssef arrived in Egypt, he felt an unshakable longing for his homeland. This ache, shared by thousands of displaced Palestinians—including those who fled in 1948 and those who escaped in the past year in a desperate bid to survive—was not mere nostalgia. It was a call to remember and rebuild.

Youssef ‘s family had always cherished artifacts from Jerusalem: chess pieces, paintings, gifts, and antiques—just as every Palestinian holds onto mementos of their stolen homeland. Yet, they had no chance to rescue their own belongings before their home was targeted and destroyed.

As Gaza and his family’s possessions lay in ruins, Youssef recalled the stories that he had been told by his grandfather about 1948, when Palestinians were forced from their homes as the Israel occupation was declared. For him, this was not just a painful memory, it was a calling. A seed planted in his heart quickly grew into a sense of duty. He believed in the words of Ghassan Kanafani: “The issue of death is not at all the issue of the dead; it is the issue of the rest.” Survivors like Youssef bore the responsibility of remembering and fighting for Palestine. Keeping the dream of the homeland alive.

So for the young, determined and entrepreneurial Palestinian, he decided to build not just another store, but an enterprise that was so deep-rooted that it could outlast any war or displacement. This would be called Al-Belad (The Homeland) an online store showcasing traditional Palestinian products, each representing identity, resilience, and heritage. A bridge to the homeland for those in exile.

As the son of a seasoned merchant, Youssef presented the idea to his father, who admired it. His father gave him the names of Palestinian manufacturers in Hebron, Ramallah, and the West Bank.

Youssef immediately contacted the suppliers, eager to import Palestinian goods. At first, he encountered no difficulty finding products as Palestine is rich in cultural heritage and craftsmanship. But then came the real challenge as he attempted to transport the goods under the severe restrictions imposed on Palestinian products by the Israeli occupation. Time and again, he faced setbacks.

Determined to find a solution, Youssef rethought his approach and decided to source Palestinian-designed products made in Egypt. He bought fabric, gathered traditional Palestinian patterns, and approached the best Egyptian factories—some owned by Palestinians—who welcomed his idea and offered him special treatment, recognizing the passion in his eyes.

Soon, he was able to source high-quality Palestinian keffiyehs, handwoven rugs, and rings engraved with keffiyeh patterns, ensuring every detail honored the authenticity of the homeland. His first marketing campaign carried the powerful slogan: “From the Land of Canaan [the historical name for Palestine], first to the Land of Al-Kinana [the poetic name for Egypt], and then to the rest of the world.”

The response was overwhelming. Palestinians in Egypt, longing for a piece of home, embraced Al-Belad with open arms. They weren’t just buying products; they were holding onto their heritage, affirming that exile would never sever their bond with Palestine. Many were searching for even the simplest reminders of home: bottles of olive oil fragranced with the land of Palestine, tatreez-embroidered fabrics woven with ancestral memory. These weren’t just items; they were fragments of the very soil.

Phone cases from Al-Belad, 

Then, something remarkable happened. Al-Belad’s reach extended beyond Egypt. Palestinians from across the world, visiting Cairo, eagerly bought Youssef’s products, eager to carry a piece of Palestine with them.

But the most touching response came from Gaza itself. Messages poured in from family, friends, and even strangers, urging him to open a branch back at home. For the people of Gaza, his products were not just items; they were cherished fragments of stolen homes and lost lands.

Seeing this overwhelming demand, Youssef vowed to return to Gaza after the war to open a branch in his homeland.

Absurd claims recently made by the U.S. President, Donald Trump, that Palestinians were “tired of Gaza” and wished to leave rather than return, couldn’t be further from the truth.

Youssef debunks this lie. Palestinians do not seek to abandon their homeland; they seek to reclaim and rebuild it. Youssef, like many others, strives to return to Gaza and open a new branch of Al-Belad.

But Israel’s restrictions on goods and construction materials make that nearly impossible. While restaurants, stores, hospitals, and schools are trying to rebuild, the blockade has caused severe shortages and skyrocketing prices, making life even harder for Gaza’s citizens. This is exacerbated by the end of the ceasefire and return to daily bombardments by the Israeli military.

Even so, Youssef is living proof that exile cannot erase a homeland from the hearts of its people.

As Mahmoud Darwish expresses, there is much worth living for: the hesitation of Spring, the smell of bread being baked at dawn, a woman’s opinion on men, falling in love, the hour of sunlight in prison, and the way clouds depict living beings or creatures.

Or, as Youssef puts it, Al-Belad.