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Joy Turns to Despair as Palestinians Return to Homes in Northern Gaza

(Reuters) Nidal Al-Mughrabi - The joy of thousands of Palestinian families who made it back home in northern Gaza after a ceasefire with Israel is turning to despair as the cold reality of uninhabitable, bombed-out homes and dire shortages of basic supplies sets in. A lack of running water forces people to queue for hours to fill plastic containers for drinking or cleaning. Most homes are now heaps of rubble as far as the eye can see. At night, residential districts sink into darkness for lack of electricity or fuel to operate standby generators. "There is nothing, no life, no water, no food, no drink, nothing for living. Life is very, very hard," Hisham El-Err said on Wednesday, standing by the ruins of his multi-story house in Jabalia. His extended family is now huddling in tents. Fahad Abu Jalhoum returned with his family to Jabalia from the Al Mawasi area in southern Gaza, but the destruction they found was so pervasive they went back south. "It's just ghosts (in the north)," he told Reuters back in Al Mawasi. "We all missed the north, but when I went there I was shocked. So I returned to (the south)." In Jabalia, Khamis Amara returned to the ruins of his house. He said, "Life here is unbearable. Honestly, it's all a lie. Those in the south should just stay there - it's better for them."
2025-01-30 00:00:00
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