Amid mountains of rubble, on a winding dirt road, exhausted Palestinians advance in single file. For the first time in months, they return to what remains of their home, searching for objects left behind during their flight or for the bodies of their loved ones buried under the rubble. On foot or on carts pulled by donkeys, these displaced people quickly lost all hope upon discovering the extent of the destruction.
Drone footage taken in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip, reveals utter devastation. In this city relentlessly shelled by the Israeli army, all that remains are piles of concrete, streets strewn with debris and a few rare gutted buildings still standing. Disoriented residents were even unable to find the location of their house, which was completely destroyed by the bombs. According to the Palestinian Civil Defense, dozens of bodies have been found in the enclave over the past three days, and more than 10,000 victims are still buried under the rubble.
Rebuild what can be
As soon as the ceasefire came into force, late Sunday morning, January 19, Gazans were able to experience their first moments of respite, without fearing indiscriminate bombings or Israeli sniper fire. This calm was all the more precious as the last hours preceding the truce were particularly violent: around twenty people lost their lives in Israeli strikes between 8:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. – the start time of the truce. When the guns finally fell silent, thousands of men, women and children left the vast displacement camps where they lived in deplorable conditions, taking a few belongings in the hope of returning to their hometown.
The lucky ones were able to save some vestiges of their past life: an identity card, a few books or a school bag. The most determined, for their part, chose to set up their tent on the sidewalks near their uninhabitable accommodation, determined to rebuild what could still be. The UN estimates that more than 60% of buildings have been destroyed by bombing since the start of the war. “People need everything: tents, shelters, mattresses… The scale of the destruction is beyond imagination”testifies Loai, a refugee in Deir-el-Balah, who plans to return to the northern part of the enclave, where he is from, during the second week of the ceasefire. Until now, the Israeli army, which remains stationed in several specific areas of the Gaza Strip, prohibits travel from south to north via the Netzarim Corridor, a seven-kilometer road crossing the Palestinian territory.
The agreement concluded between Hamas and Israel nevertheless enabled the delivery of massive humanitarian aid. On the first day of the ceasefire, more than 630 trucks were able to enter the enclave, half of them in the northern regions, on the verge of famine. The number of trucks, transporting food products (eggs, rice, flour, etc.), water and medicine, reached 915 this Tuesday, January 21, or 300 more than what was planned in the agreement. The UN assures that no convoys have been attacked and looted in recent days. “This significant improvement shows that it’s all a question of political willestimates Juliette Touma, director of communications for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. We have returned to the system that existed before the war.” The abundance of food after months of shortages and restrictions has led to a significant drop in prices. Previously unobtainable products, such as fruits and vegetables, have also made a comeback in some markets.
-Medical assistance
However, humanitarian organizations continue to face many challenges, starting with the recovery of the health system. While only half of the territory's 36 hospitals remain partially operational, the vast majority of Gazans are in need of medical assistance. Gaza authorities estimate that there are more than two million infectious diseases caused by displacement and more than 12,000 cancer patients in urgent need of treatment. The risks linked to contamination by unexploded ordnance are also very high.
Concern about the sustainability of the ceasefire is also present. “The return of Hamas within the administrations of Gaza as well as the growing fragility of Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition [Premier ministre israélien, ndlr] suggest that once the last hostages releasedthe war could resume, deplores Alexandre Chatillon, head of the French NGO Super-Novae, which provides psychological support to women in the Gaza Strip and offers learning spaces for children. Trust is therefore measured.”
Another task promises to be titanic: the reconstruction of the Palestinian territory faced with a level of destruction “unprecedented in recent history »according to the UN, which estimates the amount of damage at some 80 billion dollars (77 billion euros). The clearance of more than 50 million tonnes of rubble alone could take twenty-one years and cost up to 1.2 billion dollars (1.15 billion euros). The recovery of the health system could, for its part, reach 10 billion dollars (9.5 billion euros). Although very weakened by fifteen months of war, Hamas assures that “Gaza, with its great people and its unwavering will, will rise again to rebuild” what Israeli bombings destroyed.
