Every morning the same question: "Why are we still here?"

Bethlehem: Every morning the same question: “Why are we still here?”

CONSTRUCTION SITE IN THE ISRAELI SETTLEMENT OF HAR GILLO IN THE WEST BANK NEAR THE VILLAGE OF AL-WALAJA OUTSIDE OF BETHLEHEM, NOVEMBER 11, 2010. ( (PHOTO: NAJEH HASHLAMOUN/APA IMAGES))

By Usama Nicola, reposted from Independent Catholic News, July 14, 2026

Life in Bethlehem is growing heavier by the day. Every morning, as we try to hold on to some routine, some shred of normalcy, my children look at me with tired eyes and ask: “Why are we still here? Let’s leave. Why don’t we just migrate?”

They say it every single day now. And every single day, my heart breaks a little more.

I am exhausted. Not just physically, but emotionally, spiritually. Carrying the weight of keeping my family hopeful while the world seems to grow more indifferent to our suffering is a burden I can’t even put into words.

We wake up to news of more injustice, more restrictions, more uncertainty. Jobs are gone. Opportunities have dried up. The future feels like a distant mirage.

But still, we stay for now. Because this is our home. And leaving is not so simple when your roots are deep, your heart is broken, and your dignity tells you not to give up what is rightfully yours.

Usama Nicola is a journalist for Independent Catholic News.

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