Palestinians return to ruined homes in Gaza City after deadly Israeli assault

ISTANBUL

As a ceasefire takes hold in Gaza, tens of thousands of Palestinians displaced from Gaza City are returning to a city reduced to rubble by Israeli bombardment.

The Israeli army pounded Gaza City with airstrikes and artillery shelling as part of a plan to occupy the entire city, home to more than 1 million Palestinians.

As part of the assault, the military targeted high-rise towers across the city, leveling scores of buildings that once symbolized the city’s post-occupation development. The assault also destroyed restaurants, cafes and entertainment venues across the seaside city.

According to The Washington Post, large parts of the city’s eastern neighborhoods were destroyed in Israeli attacks during the first phase of the Israeli war, which began in October 2023.

“More recently, the military campaign focused on the west, where at least 14 high-rises have been flattened,” it said.

During this period, several major towers, each at least ten stories high, have been demolished, including the Mushtaha Tower, one of Gaza’s most recognizable landmarks.

The Israeli army claimed that the high-rise towers were allegedly used by Hamas for intelligence-gathering purposes, without providing specific evidence. Hamas has repeatedly denied the Israeli allegation.

Heartbreaking

Wisam Shublaq, who lived for decades in the 14-story Al-Jundi Al-Majhoul Tower, said his home was hit in December 2023 before being completely destroyed last month.

“Every wall, every window carried a memory,” he said. “Here we laughed, here we cried, here we grew.”

The destruction also wiped out the Al-Ru’ya Tower 1, where cafés, shops, and creative spaces flourished.

Abdullah al-Safadi, who had opened the Ristretto café after returning from Türkiye, said he watched helplessly as the tower was “completely leveled” before his eyes.

Even Gaza’s media heart – the Al-Ghefari Tower – was not spared. It had long housed major outlets and journalists, including CGTN correspondent Noor Harazeen.

“It’s heartbreaking,” she said. “Imagine watching the building where you spent more than a decade building your career collapse right before your eyes.”

The United Nations prohibits the destruction of civilian property in areas under occupation unless “absolutely necessary for military operations,” and has cited such Israeli attacks among the evidence reviewed by a UN commission that concluded Israel committed genocide in Gaza.

US President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of a 20-point plan he laid out on Sept. 29 to bring a ceasefire to Gaza, release all Israeli captives being held there in exchange for around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the entire Gaza Strip.

The first phase of the deal came into force at 12 noon local time Friday (0900 GMT).

A second phase of the plan calls for the establishment of a new governing mechanism in Gaza without Hamas’ participation, the formation of a security force comprising Palestinians and troops from Arab and Islamic countries, and the disarmament of Hamas.

Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed over 67,600 Palestinians in the enclave, most of them women and children, and rendered it uninhabitable.

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