Thousands of Palestinian families returned to northern Gaza this week in a heart-wrenching homecoming, with the sea of neighborhoods now fields of concrete and twisted metal. The trek home, an affair of both hope and despair, follows a newly implemented ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
Asma Qaoud’s voice trembled as she overlooked the ruins of what used to be the bustling Jabalia refugee camp. “Our lives were here,” she whispered, sitting amidst the rubble of collapsed buildings. At 32, Qaoud had spent her entire life in the camp before being forced to flee south during the military offensive. “We didn’t only lose our homes,” she added, motioning to the devastation surrounding her, “we lost our memories, our community-everything we held dear.”
The scene in northern Gaza has the effect of an epiphany on the residents who have returned. Streets once filled with children playing and vendors selling fresh produce now lie silent, broken by nothing but the sound of footsteps crunching over debris. The houses are standing as hollow shells, their walls partially collapsed, with shattered windows and personal belongings scattered about in the ruins.
Mohammed Al-Rashidi, 45, a schoolteacher, walked through what’s left of his neighborhood, pointing out landmarks that aren’t there anymore. “That was where my children went to school,” he said, indicating a pile of rubble. “Over there was the market where we bought our groceries. Now, how do we rebuild not just our homes, but our entire way of life?”
The return of displaced Palestinians follows more than a year of military operations that forced an exodus of civilians from northern Gaza. It opened a chance to assess what families may still have remaining from former lives. However, the scale of destruction itself presents immense challenges for reconstruction. Accompanying returnees, the aid workers share fears on the immediate needs of such families. According to Sarah Hassan, local humanitarian coordinator, an immediate and urgent interstate matter: “These people need more than roof and building materials. They require clean water, and decent sewage system, and basic infrastructure; most of all, they require hope.”
A Promising Beginning
It is shaping up as a promising beginning on the ceasefire agreement, with both sides initially committing to implement their commitments. The planned repatriation of hostages held in Gaza and Palestinians incarcerated in Israel went off without a hitch, raising prospects for further stability.
However, for most returnees, the future boggles the imagination. Fatima Sawirki, a mother with four children, spent hours searching through the family’s ravaged home. “Knew it would be bad,” she wiped her tears away, “but seeing with your own eyes… it’s different. Where do we even begin?”
Local leaders want to help returning residents but they face extreme shortages in available resources. Efforts first clear open safe routes through the debris and find buildings that can be preserved.
Families held each other for safety in all remaining buildings and temporary tents as darkness fell across the damaged terrain of Gaza’s north region. When returning home after a disaster mark both happiness and sadness it launches the work required to reconstruct their houses and rebuild their lives plus their town.