image source, Reuters
A Palestinian family dating back to Khan Yunis
Displaced Palestinians began returning to the city of Khan Yunis and its surrounding areas, after the Israeli army announced its withdrawal from the southern Gaza Strip. The attempt to return the Palestinians comes after their displacement to the city of Rafah in the far south, based on evacuation orders issued by Israel months ago to the residents of those areas.
There was significant destruction to homes and residential towers as a result of the incursion of Israeli forces and “violent clashes” between the Israeli army and the armed Palestinian factions, led by the “Al-Qassam Brigades,” the military wing of the Hamas movement.
At the beginning of last December, the pace of bombing of areas in southern Gaza escalated, when Israel launched intense air strikes on the city of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip, and announced on December 5 the advance of its forces in the region. Since then, the city has lived under continuous bombardment, which has affected even vital institutions such as Nasser Hospital, which was bombed in March, allegedly for use by Hamas for military purposes.
Before the war, the area surrounding Nasser Hospital was densely populated and full of life and activity, with streets filled with bakeries, mosques and the local football stadium. But satellite images taken on April 3 showed large areas turned into rubble in the region.
At the end of November, the municipal stadium in Khan Yunis was bustling with life and hope, but now it is covered in rubble and the surrounding neighborhoods have been reduced to rubble.
Nasser Hospital is still standing, but it stopped operating after the Israeli raids in February, and the area’s infrastructure was largely destroyed, including water networks and other basic services.
Central Khan Yunis before and after
The displaced people returning to the area now live in constant fear of aerial bombardment. Ahmed Abu Hayya, one of the displaced people from Khan Yunis, told the BBC that he will return to the city of Rafah because “the situation has become frightening.”
Voice of Hamad Abu Hayya, one of the displaced people from Khan Yunis
Some of those who were displaced say that they cannot return to their homes due to the destruction that befell them, so they seek shelter for themselves and their families with relatives whose homes were not spared from the destruction either. The Palestinian Hamida Abu Anza tells the BBC that her home “is completely destroyed and she is trying to Going to her mother’s house even though the road is fraught with danger.”
Voice of Palestinian Hamida Abu Anza
The majority of the houses in the area were subjected to comprehensive destruction, as some of them became like rubble, while other houses suffered serious cracks threatening to collapse at any moment, as a result of the rockets and shells that fell on them. One of the Palestinians who returned to Khan Yunis confirmed to the BBC that he would not leave the “rubles.” his house”.
Voice of a Palestinian returning to Khan Yunis
Absence of international relief institutions
The Gaza Strip also witnesses the absence of international institutions working to provide humanitarian assistance and relief to those affected. Some of these institutions have announced the suspension of their work in the Strip due to the restrictions imposed by Israel on their work, as they say, leaving the Palestinians in dire need of international assistance and support.
The absence of effective international institutions working to provide relief and basic services to the local population, especially in light of the harsh conditions the region is witnessing, is a source of great concern to the international community. These institutions are considered an essential part of global humanitarian efforts to alleviate the suffering of populations affected by conflicts and natural disasters.
Surrounding Nasser Hospital
Israel imposes restrictions on the work of international institutions in the Gaza Strip, by restricting their movement and activity, and this greatly hinders relief and humanitarian efforts. Local residents are suffering because of these restrictions, as they find themselves isolated from the necessary assistance that might alleviate their daily suffering.
Many international organizations express their concern about this situation, stressing the need to open humanitarian paths and enable international institutions to reach the affected areas and provide assistance to those in need without obstacles.
In addition, these institutions emphasize the need to respect international humanitarian law and human rights, and that all parties involved in the conflict must adhere to these basic principles, in order to protect the civilian population and alleviate their suffering in light of the harsh conditions they face.