The withdrawal of the Israeli army from populated areas of Gaza allowed thousands of Palestinians to return home on Sunday. But many found only ruins.
Celebrations that broke out in Gaza on Sunday morning after the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect quickly gave way to dismay for thousands of Palestinians who found their city in ruins.
The three-phase deal – reached after a year of intensive mediation by the United States, Egypt and Qatar – came into force on Sunday after a short delay.
The first phase involves the withdrawal of Israeli army forces from densely populated areas and allows thousands of displaced Palestinians to return home. But many only find ruins.
The city of Khan Younes almost completely razed
15 months of the most intense fighting ever seen between the Israeli army and Hamas have reduced large swaths of Gaza to ruins, and this was the sight that greeted those returning to the town of Khan Yunis on Sunday.
Israeli bombing and ground operations have transformed entire neighborhoods of the city into a rubble-strewn wasteland, with blackened buildings and mounds of debris extending in all directions.
Main roads are impassable and essential water and electricity infrastructure is in ruins.
International experts say that Khan Younes is the city which suffered the most significant destruction in the entire Gaza Strip.
Israeli forces withdrew from the city on Sunday, after a four-month battle against Hamas, the longest ground operation of the Gaza war.
Devastation in Jabaliya
The situation is similar in the north of the Gaza Strip.
The town of Jabaliya is home to the largest refugee camp in the territory and most of the structures there have been razed.
The camp was the scene ofa vast military operation that began in October last yearthe Israeli army claiming to have reinvested the area to dismantle what it described as “command and control center” of Hamas.
This operation left at least 70% of the area in ruins, according to Palestinian officials.
Rafah health system ‘completely out of order’
At the same time, residents returning to Rafah discover scenes of mass destruction in the city that was once a hub for displaced families fleeing Israeli bombing.
Some say they have found human remains in the rubble of buildings.
Marwan al-Hams, director of the now-destroyed Abu Youssef Al-Najjar Hospital, says the city’s health system is “completely out of order”.
“We need at least three hospitals in Rafah and at least five in Gaza City. Likewise, in the north of the Gaza Strip, we need three field hospitals, so that the health system health can begin to recover”he declares.
“Most hospitals in the Gaza Strip have been completely destroyed and need to be rebuilt again”adds Marwan al-Hams.
A reconstruction costing nearly 18 billion euros
The population of Gaza has paid a heavy price in 15 months of war.
More than 46,000 Palestinians have been killedaccording to the Gaza Health Ministry, and hundreds of Israeli soldiers died. The October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on southern Israel, which sparked the war, killed more than 1,200 people.
Around 90% of Gaza’s population has been displaced, often multiple times. According to the United Nations, the health system, road network and other vital infrastructure were severely damaged.
Reconstruction, if the ceasefire reaches its third and final phase, will take at least several years.
In their interim assessment report damage published last March, the European Union, the United Nations and the World Bank have estimated the cost of rebuilding Gaza’s critical infrastructure at €17.9 billion.
Last October, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development estimated thatit will take 350 years for Gaza’s economy to return to pre-war levels if the Israeli blockade of the territory remains in force.