Ziad Rahbani, the iconic musician, playwright, composer, and son of the legendary Lady Fairuz, has passed away today at the age of 69.

Ziad was more than a musician, an artist, he was the voice of a people. Through his music, his plays, his songs, and his free spirit, we learned to love the homeland.

He spoke for the poor, the forgotten, the oppressed, as one of them. He translated their daily struggles into art, so we may continue to live, to strive, and to hope.

Ziad was a core of the Lebanese cultural heritage and will continue to be for as long as this country exists.

A bold supporter of the Lebanese resistance, he expressed deep love and respect for Hezbollah on several occasions. When asked if his mother Fairuz, supports the resistance he replied without hesitation: "Of course! If she wasn't with the resistance, there would be a problem between me and her. I wouldn't be able to compose for her, and she knows this very well." Ziad wrote or arranged almost half of Fairuz's thousands of songs.

Hezbollah and the PFLP issued statements expressing condolences for his loss, praising him as a "resistant national artistic figure" who used his art to serve the homeland and humanity. The PFLP said Ziad was a "national conscience" through his art, to uplift the marginalized and reject injustice and sectarianism.

Despite all efforts to drag Lebanon towards normalization and surrender, the country's true identity continues to shine through its heritage, and through real Lebanese patriots. In the words of Ziad, true patriotism is to be against "israel."

On the one-year anniversary of your martyrdom, Sayyed. 

What words could possibly give you justice?

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah: the fighter, the leader, the great, the legend, the immortal.

All these words about you are true; yet you would most definitely hate to hear them.

You were always proud to be one of the people, one with the people. They loved and welcomed you. You weren’t just one of them; you were them. Ask anyone in this crowd and they would give their life to bring you back, even for a minute.

Our beloved Sayyed: our most painful sacrifice, our greatest loss, our biggest pride.

The enemy thinks it broke us. And it’s true that we did feel broken. We still do.

But look at the crowds. All these people speak one language: we will resist, we will rise, we will avenge.

The false entity of the colonizers will perish. Our future is to remain here, on this land.

On the one-year anniversary of your martyrdom:

Congratulations, Sayyed, on your martyrdom. May peaceful heaven embrace you warmly.

After you ascended, a fighter who later became a martyr said to his comrades, “Hasten! Heaven now has Sayyed Hassan.”

We have sat long with sadness over the events of the past two years, and we have come to peace with the idea that the answer is not to refuse to feel broken; it’s to channel our feelings into determination. A determination to follow your path, to avenge you, what you were martyred for, our people, our land. Bleeding Gaza.

You are not dead. Martyrs never die. You have created within each of us a version of yourself that will remain for generations, carrying your blood, your banner, your goals and walking the same path as you.

Until we meet again, dear Sayyed.

We remain on the pledge, O Nasrallah.

December 14, 2024, marks a turning point for Jenin: the day the Palestinian Authority assassinated Yazid Ja‘ayseh, commander of the Jenin Brigade, and the child Mohammed Al-Amer. Both were sons of the camp and belonged to families known for sacrifice. Mohammed was the brother of martyr Yusuf Al-Amer and prisoners Luay and Ibrahim Al-Amer, the nephew of the martyred leader Ziad Al-Amer, and also the cousin of the martyrs Ayham, Aysar, and Nidal Al-Amer. Yazid was deeply rooted in the camp, closer to leaders, including prisoners Mohammed Al-Hosary, Moslim Masarwa, and Abu Azmi, and the martyrs Abu Talal, Islam Khamaysa, and Abu Shadi.

Yazid embraced Palestinian nationalism, viewing armed struggle as the sole path to liberation. Growing up under constant raids, he saw resistance as a direct and necessary response to the occupation. Known for his steadfastness and resistance, his history included a serious injury in 2019 and four years in occupation prisons, enduring torture and repeated arrests.

Despite relentless pursuit after his release, Yazid never abandoned the camp. He was martyred on December 14, 2024, during clashes amidst the Palestinian Authority siege on the camp. Escalating their aggression, PA forces besieged local hospitals, preventing family and friends from bidding him farewell after his assassination.

The PA’s objective was clear: disarm the resistance and leave Jenin vulnerable to occupation forces. Yazid refused to yield, refusing humiliation and standing in defense of the camp. The PA siege itself mirrored occupation tactics: encircling the camp, burning homes as collective punishment, and even banning Al-Jazeera in the West Bank. Yet repression failed to extinguish resistance; armed operations continued, including a shooting near Qalqilya that killed three settlers.

During the siege, PA gunfire killed at least eight martyrs, including children and journalist Shatha Al-Sabbagh, who followed Nizar Banat's path exposing corruption. Since October 7, the PA has killed at least 22 Palestinians while allowing the IOF to continue the genocide in Gaza.

One year later, the wound in Jenin remains open. Many fighters who defended the camp and resisted for Gaza are now imprisoned by the PA and occupation forces through security coordination; others were martyred or remain on the run. A camp once known as a “safe haven” for wanted fighters across the West Bank has been left devastated by this joint aggression.

By early 2025, occupation forces had maintained over 300 days of aggression in Jenin, destroying more than 700 homes. At least 21,000 Palestinians were displaced from Jenin camp, with 40,000 displaced from Jenin and Tulkarem combined. Violence spread across the northern West Bank, impacting Nour Shams, Tubas, and Al-Fara'a, while raids, abductions, and checkpoints suffocated daily life from Nablus to Al-Khalil.

Compounding the crisis, the PA has cut stipends for families of martyrs, prisoners, and the wounded, leaving displaced families unable to meet even basic needs. Yet despite siege, destruction, and betrayal, Jenin and the camps of the West Bank continue to embody steadfastness against sustained aggression.

"If tears could bring back the lost, I would weep for you for all of eternity. And if a soul could be sacrificed, I would give mine for you."
"We swear, we will be victorious!"
- Yazid Ja'ayseh