in the midst of disaster, bring back life

Beirut (Lebanon), correspondence

471 days of horror, destruction and annihilation have finally come to an end in Gaza. The ceasefire, brokered by the United States between Hamas and Israel and which came into force on the morning of January 19, was greeted by scenes of jubilation throughout the Gaza Strip. Proudly waving Palestinian flags, the survivors joyfully marked their stubbornness to live despite what United Nations experts describe as genocide. Immediately, thousands of survivors set off towards their homes, or what remained of them, crossing landscapes of desolation.

« We are hopeful and happy about the ceasefire and being able to return to our homesrejoices Samar Abo Saffia, a 29-year-old Gazan farmer and environmental activist, in a voice message sent to Reporterre. My house in Gaza burned to the ground, but it is still standing. However, there are no signs of life in the area. » Originally from downtown Gaza, she found refuge in Deir el-Balah, in the center of the enclave, and lost her brother Amjad, killed by Israeli forces two months ago as he left to look for flour in a « humanitarian zone ».

The ceasefire comes at a time when the situation in Gaza is catastrophic. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, more than 46,700 people have been killed and more than 110,000 injured in fifteen months of war. The number of deaths could rise to more than 186,000 including diseases and hunger (almost 10 % of population), according to the medical journal The Lancet.

Almost 2 million people have been displaced, or 9 out of 10 Gazans. In addition, 70 % of buildings, of which 92 % of houses and 88 % of schools, was destroyed. This field of ruins, with more than 40,000 tons of rubble, would require fourteen years of clearing, according to theHIM.

Bringing life back to Gaza

The reconstruction of Gaza will therefore be the work of an entire generation, traumatized and weakened. It will cost more than 40 billion dollars (39 billion euros), according to theHIM. The first stage began with the exchange of Palestinian and Israeli hostages and prisoners on January 19, and the arrival of 630 humanitarian trucks, blocked for months. « We are already seeing food arriving. We received supplies of chicken and meat, as well as fruits and vegetables at the market, after four months of complete siege »of Samar Abo Saffia.

Slowly, the enclave will be able to rediscover the riches that made it famous: its joy, its seafront, its citrus fruits and its strawberries renowned throughout the Arab world. « Gaza farmers are excited to be able to return to their land and start planting and cultivating their crops »adds the young woman. For her, regaining food sovereignty is essential to the reconstruction of the enclave, whose agriculture is on its knees. 68 % of the fields, more than 10,000 hectares of arable land, were destroyed by the Israelis and 95 % of livestock killed. Environmental associations denounce « ecocide » Israeli.

Read also: In the occupied West Bank, the lives of besieged farmers

In order to revive Gazan agriculture, the young activist and farmer spent the months of war researching environmental destruction as well as cultivating fields in Deir el-Balah and Khan Younes, amid the rubble. She now wants to relaunch a cultivation project on the roofs of Gaza.

« I had worked a lot on this project before the war, but everything has stoppedshe testifies. I would like to take it up again in order to transform the roofs into vegetable gardens, with plants and animals. This would be ideal for bringing the Gaza Strip back to life and making it greener. » Due to lack of funding, she launched an online fundraiser.

Dark clouds on the horizon

The obstacles facing Gaza are immense. The ceasefire is to last 42 days and take place in several stages, including hostage exchanges and the withdrawal of Israeli forces. Each will be fragile and could derail at any time. « To be completely honest, even though people [à Gaza] are happy, they are still afraid, because things are not very clear. They ask themselves a lot of questions »says Mahmoud Alsaqqa, program manager at Oxfam in Gaza, and himself displaced by war.

And to add: « We face many challenges, be it clean water, food supply, basic needs or security, but the most important is infrastructure. International organizations are wondering how to handle such an enormous situation. » In addition to the technical and humanitarian challenges, the military occupation of historic Palestine since 1947 darkens the horizon. « People have been suffering for years, it didn't start with October 7 [2023] »he explains.

The Gaza Strip is now cut in two by Israeli bases in the « Netzarim corridor »its borders are ultra-militarized and still under Israeli control. With the Trump era which began on January 20, the future of the enclave remains dependent on the will of its enemies.