GAZA, October 12, 2025 (WAFA) – Citizens returning to their homes in the northern areas of Khan Younis in southern Gaza were met with a shocking scene of devastation left behind by the Israeli military’s relentless offensive. Entire neighborhoods lay flattened, with residential buildings, schools, infrastructure, and public facilities reduced to rubble.
As the returnees took their first steps into what used to be their homes and communities, any hope for a quick return to normal life quickly vanished. The destruction stretched as far as the eye could see—roads were shattered, water and sewage networks destroyed, and shelters that had provided refuge during the recent months were now uninhabitable.
Residents spoke to Anadolu Agency in separate interviews, describing the occupation army’s actions as a complete annihilation of the basic means of living. One citizen likened the damage to a “tsunami or a 10-magnitude earthquake,” highlighting the overwhelming scale of the ruin.
Before partially withdrawing to new positions inside Gaza, the Israeli forces left behind remnants of explosives and booby-trapped vehicles designed to demolish entire residential blocks. Adding insult to injury, hateful and racist graffiti was scrawled on the walls of the few remaining structures and piles of debris.
The first phase of a ceasefire agreement entered into effect on Friday after the Israeli government approved the terms in the early hours of the same day, bringing a fragile pause to the violence.
Searching for shelter amid the rubble
In the Al-Kateeba area, some families, stunned by the total destruction of their homes, began scavenging for remnants of clothing and blankets to prepare for the approaching cold and rainy season. Their task was arduous, as these necessities lay buried under tons of rubble.
Abdel Malek Al-Farra, 63, sifted through the wreckage, collecting materials he could burn for warmth since he could not retrieve clothes or blankets. “I spent my life building this four-story building that housed 11 families,” he told Anadolu with a heavy heart. “Today, we came back hoping to find a shelter, but everything is rubble—even the empty plots of land are devastated.”
Al-Farra described the widespread debris as so vast that his family couldn’t find even a patch of open ground to pitch a tent. “Where do we live? Where do we go? If we head to the sea, we’ll drown if the waves rise. We’ll drown inside the tents once the rains start, as tents don’t protect us,” he lamented.
Standing amid the ruins, Al-Farra struggled to put into words the scale of the destruction: “I stand on destruction, surrounded by destruction, living without life.”
He called on the world to “look with mercy on the Palestinians” and urged aid to facilitate the entry of relief materials and reconstruction efforts to rebuild what Israel destroyed.
The haunting remnants of war
Anadolu’s camera documented military explosives scattered in several northern Khan Younis locations, alongside vehicles the army had rigged to obliterate entire neighborhoods. The destruction extended to mosques whose domes collapsed, leaving only some minarets standing as silent witnesses to the ruin.
Mohammed Abu Al-Reesh, 60, was busy clearing debris from his home, trying to reclaim a livable space from the wreckage. Having fled five months ago, he returned Friday to the heart-wrenching scene. “It’s as if a tsunami or a 10-magnitude earthquake struck the area,” he said. “Not a single stone remains; no roads, no houses standing, no water or sewage networks, no schools or mosques—only rubble.”
Abu Al-Reesh warned that life would be incredibly difficult for those returning due to the absence of basic services and infrastructure. He expressed deep sorrow at the ongoing humanitarian crisis and the world’s inaction. “For two years, the world has witnessed our suffering but did nothing… Now, we ask nothing from them,” he said bitterly.
A glimmer of hope amid the rubble
In a small attempt to restore some semblance of normality, Khan Younis Municipality began clearing main roads on Saturday using its remaining, outdated heavy machinery. This step aims to facilitate movement and prepare the ground for rebuilding.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces have withdrawn from several parts of Gaza City, except for certain neighborhoods, and from central and eastern areas of Khan Younis, while access to towns such as Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahia, Rafah, and the coastal areas remains restricted.
As the dust settles on northern Khan Younis, its residents face a daunting reality: rebuilding lives from the ashes of destruction, grappling with a lack of shelter, infrastructure, and hope. Their pleas echo beyond Gaza’s borders—calls for aid, compassion, and justice amid a landscape ravaged by war.
M.N
