Gazans return to razed homes as ceasefire takes hold: "There's no way to live here"
Gaza City, Gaza - As a fragile ceasefire holds, displaced Palestinian residents of Gaza City have returned to their homes only to find rubble, with many of them forced to camp out in makeshift shelters.
In the northwest of the city, empty streets are lined with piles of concrete that once were apartment buildings before Israel's assault began, with some structures completely collapsed.
Hossam Majed discovered his home reduced to rubble. Amid the ruins, the 31-year-old salvaged a few belongings, including some furniture and – crucially given the shortages – a large water tank.
While waiting for the rest of his family to return, he has swept aside some dust and rubble, set up a makeshift shelter, and will guard what remains from potential thieves.
"Even food is more expensive than in the south because it's scarce. There's no electricity, no water, no internet. I have to walk a kilometer and a half... just to fill two water containers," he told AFP.
Umm Rami Lubbad left her home last month to seek safety in southern Gaza, in Khan Yunis, as Israel stepped up its offensive on Gaza City, which was deemed genocidal by numerous experts, legal bodies, and human rights organizations.
She had hoped to return to her home as "it was the only remaining hope for a little stability".
But upon their return, the mother, her young child, and two teenage daughters were caught by surprise.
"My heart nearly stopped when I saw the house reduced to rubble," she told AFP, adding "I was looking as far as my eyes could see – and saw nothing".
Now, Lubbad and her children are effectively homeless.
"Gaza has turned into a ghost town"
"We sleep in the street regardless. I don't have a tent," she said, adding that neighbors took them in when artillery shelling made the outdoors too dangerous.
With her children, she has gathered some wood, clothing, and a gas tank, hoping to use the wood for cooking or to build makeshift toilets.
"Life is extremely hard. I don't know how long we'll endure," she said.
She hopes tents will eventually be allowed into Gaza, which is under a strict Israeli siege.
Ahmad al-Abbasi, who had fled south during the bombings, returned to find that nothing of his five-story building remained in Gaza City.
"We came back north hoping to find our homes and [rebuild our] lives. As you can see... Gaza has turned into a ghost town," he said.
In front of the ruins, he has attempted to set up a makeshift tent beside a Palestinian flag fluttering from a pole.
He has stacked some cinder blocks to anchor iron rods for holding up a sheet, which is meant to serve as a roof.
Though the shelter stands, the wind catches the fabric and the flag, making them flap loudly.
Humanitarian crisis persists in Gaza despite ceasefire
"We're trying to salvage everything we can. We'll try to fix even just one room or one tent to shelter ourselves, our children, and our families," he told AFP.
Mustafa Mahram, another Palestinian who returned to Gaza City, also found his three-story house reduced to rubble.
"Everything's gone, turned to ashes... There's no way to live here," he lamented.
Mahram has set up a tent near the remains of his house and feels his family has been "thrown into the street".
"There's no water – no drinking water, not even salty water, no water at all," he said. "None of the essentials of life are available – no food, nothing to drink, nothing. And as you can see, there's nothing left but rubble."
Cover photo: AFP