One Palestinian man's life of survival

+ Accessibility links Skip to main content Keyboard shortcuts for audio player Open Navigation Menu --> Newsletters NPR Shop Close Navigation Menu Home News Expand/collapse submenu for News National World Politics Business Health Science Climate Race Culture Expand/collapse submenu for Culture Books Movies Television Pop Culture Food Art & Design Performing Arts Life Kit Gaming Music Expand/collapse submenu for Music Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions Podcasts & Shows Expand/collapse submenu for Podcasts & Shows Daily Morning Edition Weekend Edition Saturday Weekend Edition Sunday All Things Considered Up First Here & Now NPR Politics Podcast Featured Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Planet Money Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics One Palestinian man's life of survival A 90-year-old Palestinian man in Gaza says his life has never felt safe as he recalls displacements and wars World One Palestinian man's life of survival May 19, 20264:00 AM ET Heard on Morning Edition By Anas Baba One Palestinian man's life of survival Listen &middot; 2:19 2:19 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5825865/nx-s1-9775877" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript A 90-year-old Palestinian man in Gaza says his life has never felt safe as he recalls displacements and wars Sponsor Message LEILA FADEL, HOST: Palestinians call it the Nakba - Arabic for catastrophe. Israelis call it their war of independence. But 78 years after the creation of Israel, Palestinians say their mass expulsion, flight and killings have continued. NPR's Anas Baba in Gaza spoke with a man who survived it all. ATTIA AL-TEEBY: (Non-English language spoken). ANAS BABA, BYLINE: Attia al-Teeby (ph) has eight children and nearly a hundred grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He says he is a Palestinian, the son of Palestinians and that his entire life has been defined by this. At 90, he is one of the oldest living people in Gaza today, but he says this is hardly a life. AL-TEEBY: (Non-English language spoken). BABA: He says, "at this moment, we are neither dead nor alive. That life has been taken from us." NPR met al-Teeby in a tent in Gaza City with a single wooden bed. His home was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike. He survived the bombings and starvation, but he was injured and hospitals lacked supplies. Doctors had to amputate him at the knee. But al-Teeby remembers better days, before the conflict began nearly 80 years ago. At 12 years old, everything changed. Word spread of raids and killing in Palestinian villages that year of 1948. AL-TEEBY: (Non-English language spoken). BABA: His family, like hundreds of thousands of other Palestinians, fled their village to Gaza. An Israeli drone buzzes overhead as the 90-year-old says he hasn't felt safe his entire life since. AL-TEEBY: (Non-English language spoken). BABA: More than 72,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza following Hamas' deadly attacks on Israel in 2023 that killed around 1,200 people, according to authorities on both sides. AL-TEEBY: (Non-English language spoken). BABA: Al-Teeby says it's been one catastrophe - or Nakba - after another, but that this land will always remain home. Anas Baba, NPR News, Gaza. Copyright &copy; 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. Facebook Flipboard Email Read & Listen Home News Culture Music Podcasts & Shows Connect Newsletters Facebook Instagram Press Public Editor Corrections Transcripts Contact & Help About NPR Overview Diversity NPR Network Accessibility Ethics Finances Get Involved Support Public Radio Sponsor NPR NPR Careers NPR Shop NPR Extra Terms of Use Privacy Your Privacy Choices Text Only Sponsor Message Sponsor Message Become an NPR sponsor (function () { var loadPageJs = function () { (window.webpackJsonp=window.webpackJsonp||[]).push([[22],{1169:function(e,n,c){e.exports=c(321)},321:function(e,n,c){"use strict";c.p=NPR.serverVars.webpackPublicPath,Promise.all([c.e(1),c.e(2),c.e(3),c.e(4),c.e(82)]).then(function(e){c(3),c(1141),c(116),c(95),c(52),c(492),c(240),c(102),c(104),c(1142),c(144),c(1143),c(239),c(48),c(1144)}.bind(null,c)).catch(c.oe)}},[[1169,0]]]); }; if (document.readyState === 'complete') { loadPageJs(); } else { window.addEventListener('load', function load() { window.removeEventListener('load', load, false); loadPageJs(); }); } })();