With a fragile ceasefire in place, many displaced Palestinian residents of Gaza City have returned to find their homes in ruins, forcing them to camp in makeshift shelters.
In the city’s northwest, deserted streets are bordered by concrete debris from apartment buildings destroyed in the Israel-Hamas conflict, with some structures entirely collapsed.
Hossam Majed discovered his home reduced to rubble. Among the wreckage, the 31-year-old managed to salvage some belongings, including furniture and a vital large water tank amid shortages.
While awaiting his family’s return, he cleared away dust and debris, set up a temporary shelter, and now guards his remaining possessions from potential theft.
“Even food is more expensive here than in the south due to scarcity. There’s no electricity, water, or internet. I have to walk 1.5 kilometers just to fill two water containers,” he told AFP.
Umm Rami Lubbad fled her home last month seeking safety in southern Gaza’s Khan Yunis as Israel intensified its offensive on Gaza City to eliminate Hamas, whose October 7, 2023, attack triggered the war.
She hoped to return for a semblance of stability in her home.
However, upon returning, the mother and her young child, along with two teenage daughters, were shocked.
“My heart nearly stopped when I saw the house reduced to rubble,” she told AFP, adding “I looked as far as my eyes could see—and saw nothing.”
Now, Lubbad and her children are effectively homeless.
“We sleep in the street regardless. I don’t have a tent,” she said, mentioning that neighbors sheltered them when artillery fire made the outdoors unsafe.
With her children, she gathered wood, clothing, and a gas tank, hoping to cook or build makeshift toilets.
Homeless and Unsupplied
“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 remains under strict Israeli blockade.
Ahmad al-Abbasi, who fled south during the bombings, returned to find his five-story building in Gaza City completely gone.
“We came back north hoping to find our homes and rebuild our lives. As you can see… Gaza has become a ghost town,” he said.
In front of the wreckage, he tried to erect a makeshift tent beside a Palestinian flag fluttering from a pole.
He stacked cinder blocks to support iron rods holding up a sheet meant to serve as a roof.
Though the shelter stands, the wind causes the fabric and flag to flap loudly.
“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, found his three-story house reduced to rubble.
“Everything’s gone, turned to ashes… There’s no way to live here,” he lamented.
Mahram set up a tent near his house’s remains, feeling as though his family has been “thrown into the street.”
“There’s no water—no drinking water, not even salty water, none at all,” he said.
“None of life’s essentials are available—no food, nothing to drink, nothing. And as you can see, there’s nothing left but rubble.”
