The Take The objects Gaza’s women refused to leave behind
Oct 8, 2025
In this thought-provoking conversation, Danya Issawi, a fashion and culture writer at The Cut, shares powerful stories of Palestinian women fleeing Gaza. She explores the significance of personal items, like a crocheted blanket and a flash drive of memories, that serve as emotional anchors during displacement. Danya highlights the contrast between past hopes of return and the poignant souvenirs of this current crisis. With sensitivity in her interviews, she sheds light on the complex realities women face, emphasizing the deep connections between people and their treasured belongings.
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Keys As Enduring Symbol Of Return
- The key necklace symbolizes Palestinian resistance and a promise to return across generations.
- Danya Issawi realized objects can map changing symbols of identity for displaced Palestinians.
Objects Build Empathy Across Distance
- Objects create empathy by grounding faraway suffering in everyday possessions anyone can relate to.
- Danya pitched the story to bridge readers' experiences with Palestinian women's memories through sentimental items.
Items Of Remembrance Over Symbols Of Return
- Women leaving Gaza often knew they would not return, so they carried items of remembrance rather than keys.
- Those items connected them to lost loved ones and served as memorials more than symbols of hope.