Kuwaiti telecoms giant Zain delivers a powerful Ramadan message, condemning Trump’s Gaza ‘ethnic cleansing’ plan and highlighting Palestinian resilience (Photo by YASSER AL-ZAYYAT / AFP) (Photo by YASSER AL-ZAYYAT/AFP via Getty Images)
Kuwaiti telecoms giant Zain has released its latest Ramadan television commercial, delivering a bold message against US President Donald Trump’s controversial Gaza ‘ethnic cleansing’ plan, which advocates for the mass displacement of Palestinians in the enclave and a US-Israeli land grab.
Known for its annual viral Ramadan ad campaigns, this year’s Zain commercial highlights Palestinian resilience and determination to rebuild Gaza, following the January implementation of a three-phase ceasefire plan between Hamas and Israel that aims to pave the way for ending the devastating 16-month war.
The video opens with a young girl performing a powerful ballad about Palestine, singing: “I only open my eyes to see you, my land. From your clay, my soul emerged, our looks go hand in hand.”
She is seen walking across shattered glass and rubble, raising a blue flag that reads: “Let us sing a spiritual peace that embraces a national peace.”
An Iraqi performer joins her during the performance, passionately proclaiming his devotion to the Palestinian homeland.
“In my heart, my land found its place. We won’t die for it [land] to live, we give it life and it returns the grace,” he belts out.
The video later features a speech by four-year-old Maria Hanoun from Gaza City, who previously went viral for directly challenging Trump’s Gaza displacement plan.
In the widely shared clip, she asked: “If I asked you to leave your home and live in Egypt or China, would you accept that?”
In the Zain commercial, Hanoun delivers another powerful message – this time for the world to hear: “I won’t leave my land just to please. Mark my presence, its shores and its seas.”
The video’s chorus reinforces the theme of Palestinian pride, with voices proudly singing “my land, my land, land”, a phrase repeated multiple times as schoolchildren rush to class through the narrow, ruined halls of a demolished school.
Other children gather around a pot of maqlooba, a traditional Palestinian dish made with layers of meat, rice, and fried vegetables.
The commercial is filled with striking imagery of pro-Palestine solidarity, from a birthday cake candle shaped like the map of Palestine to drummers wearing watermelon-patterned scarves.
A powerful human tableau forms the shape of a spreading olive tree, symbolising deep-rooted Palestinian identity and endurance.
The video’s closing statement delivers a direct rebuke of Trump’s controversial proposal: “This land is not for sale, not measured in feet but by cubits.”
The cubit, an ancient unit of measurement based on the length from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger, symbolises Palestinians’ unwavering commitment to protecting their land at any cost.
“Our roots still stand, your deal of the century, dust, in sand, and in the Riviera, drown by your own hand.”
MENA viewers took to social media to praise the viral ad. One user on X (formerly Twitter) stated: “Zain’s Ramadan 2025 ad is bold and powerful! Standing up for Gaza and rejecting any plans to erase its identity.”
They continued: “Media with a conscience is what we need!”
On YouTube, a viewer commented that the video illustrated how “Ramadan this year is passing hard for Gaza, without its tables that used to bring together family and neighbours, without the laughter of children, without the warmth of homes that used to pulse with life”.
“Many of those who used to decorate its nights have passed away, absent from Iftar tables, but their souls remain, and their light is not extinguished,” they added.
Last year, Zain’s Ramadan ad campaign also addressed the war on Gaza, focusing on the plight of Palestinian children amid Israel’s devastating assault on the territory.
Zain’s Ramadan commercials are widely lauded across MENA audiences, as the brand’s ad campaigns often amplify pressing social issues throughout the Islamic month of Ramadan.
