“Israeli troops left no humans, trees, or stones untouched,” he said. All that’s left are the ruins he sits on, with memories lying buried underneath. They decided to leave after Israeli F16s dropped leaflets, demanding all residents leave their homes immediately. “The Israeli troops broke into the house, and occupied it for several days,” said Abu Hadaeid. “We had no option but to go to the Gaza European Hospital for shelter.” When they fled, he, his wife and 21 children/grandchildren had to run fast, dodging the Israeli bombs falling around them. He stumbled across his neighbour’s donkey, lying on the ground bleeding from shrapnel in its neck. “The night before the 72-hour ceasefire was announced, my house was still standing,” said Abu Hadaeid. “Now it looks like it’s been blown up by dynamite.” He keeps watch on his home from a distance, waiting for Israeli tanks and bulldozers to stop moving, for the sand and dust to settle, and maybe some calm to return. Abu Hadaeid and his wife have dug under the destroyed house - but not much can be identified from their personal belongings. “This is where the soldiers ate - see the food cans with Hebrew writing on, and also the blue plastic bags holding their shit, left behind, over there,” he said, grimacing. One of his children was able to retrieve a gas cylinder, found a couple of hundred metres away from the site. His wife, Umm Hani, 70, spent hours searching for some personal gold items inherited from her mother and grandparents - a habit developed - like many families - of passing personal heirlooms from one generation to the next. She struggled to find something to keep for her grand-daughter to pass on to the next generation. “I can’t retrieve anything from these ruins,” she said, as she continued to search for some gold and money left by a mother she knew, who had asked her to keep it safely for the education of her orphaned child. middleeasteye.net/news/gaza-it-s-aftermath-hurricane-543001331
Posted on: Fri, 15 Aug 2014 02:07:03 +0000
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