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Gazans: We Survived, but This Isn't Life
(Ha'aretz) Nir Hasson - One Palestinian prisoner released from an Israeli jail, who returned to Gaza after nearly two years, said it looks like Armageddon. True, the devastation looks like a scene from after World War II. In the south, Rafah is almost entirely obliterated, and Khan Yunis is badly damaged, while in large swaths of the north only the shells of buildings remain. The water and power grids aren't functioning properly, and the approaching winter threatens to drown the improvised refugee camps in mud. A new saying is going around, "We survived, but this isn't life." For Gazans, the war continues in a daily struggle for survival in a devastated enclave. People are waiting for reconstruction, but this massive project will take decades and cost tens of billions of dollars. Interim living solutions will be needed for years. Meanwhile, Gaza's economy is in total collapse. After months of paralysis, the UNRWA refugee agency is gradually resuming operations, including the distribution of flour and basic goods. Improvised markets are operating, and prices plummeted when the ceasefire was announced. Bread is again available. Half of Gazans are displaced. Many aren't going back to their ruined homes, especially in areas across the "yellow line" where Israel still has forces, including in Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahia and eastern Gaza City in the north, and in southern Rafah.