A group of Palestinian men sit in one of the completely destroyed streets in Shujaiyeh, a neighborhood of east of Gaza City. In front of them, a huge area has been reduced to rubble. Water is flowing into the street as one of the pipes has been damaged. Some tried to dig to fix the pipes but did not manage. Palestinians are very ill-equipped to even clean the rubble, as the level of devastation is overwhelming. Most of them come to their homes during the day, but go to sleep in another area at night. Most of their homes were destroyed. They still struggle to come to grips with what happened. Their once-lively neighborhood was turned into a ghost town, especially at night when complete darkness covers the streets since the electricity infrastructure was destroyed. When asked about hopes that their homes might be rebuilt soon, one Palestinian man, Maher, shrugs his shoulders and says, “It all depends on politics.” Like many of his neighbors, Maher lost his home. Built floor by floor starting 30 years ago, the 15 other members of his family who lived there are also now homeless. “All my money went into this house,” he says. Now Maher has to borrow money in order to rent a place for his family. Rent in Gaza has become much more expensive because so many displaced Palestinians are looking for shelter, increasing the demand. Eastern Shujaiyeh, which is very populated, was one of the most affected areas during the latest Israeli military offensive. On the night of July 19, the bombardment intensified, forcing many residents to flee, including some in their pajamas and with bare feet. On that day alone, Israeli shelling killed more than 60 Palestinians, some of them in the streets. Ambulances were not able to rescue the wounded and many were trapped under the rubble. Shujaiyeh was again hit very hard during a ceasefire on July 30 when a market area was bombed while many people were shopping. Israeli strikes killed at least 17 and injured 200 that day alone, including medics and journalists. For many, the evacuation of their homes was traumatic. “There was nothing we could take,” says Maher, recalling the night when he had to leave his home behind. “We saw the situation was getting so much worse. We were running in the street and I saw some people, civilians, killed.” During the first ceasefire, he returned to discover that his house had been destroyed. Home is more than just a building where you sleep. It is your emotional anchor. Many Palestinians take pride in having built their homes themselves and they consider it to be one of their life’s biggest achievements. The loss cannot be measured in the monetary value of the building. Asked about his feelings, Maher shrugs his shoulder again. “How can one describe his feelings when he finds his home destroyed?”
Posted on: Mon, 08 Sep 2014 08:48:50 +0000
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