Gazans express mixed feelings after returning to destroyed homes

Gazans who returned to their homes on Friday expressed mixed emotions after witnessing firsthand the widespread destruction after two years of war between the terrorist organization and Israel. Much of Gaza was destroyed as a result of Hamas’ strategy to embed itself in civilian structures such as hospitals, schools and residential buildings.

In addition to the shock of the level of destruction, many Gazans are at the same time concerned about current hardships and future challenges in a post-war Gaza. Most of Gaza’s 2.2 million residents were displaced as a result of the war that Hamas started with the Oct. 7 massacre of 1,200 Israelis and kidnapping of 251 people from Israel in 2023.

“Of course, there are no homes – they’ve been destroyed – but we are happy just to return to where our homes were, even over the rubble,” 40-year-old Mahdi Saqla said while standing next to a makeshift tent in central Gaza. “That, too, is a great joy,” he added.

The Gaza City resident Mahira al-Ashi expressed joy that she could return to the city where she grew up.

“By God, when they opened the road, I was so happy to go back,” she said.

Meanwhile in the southern Gazan city of Khan Younis, the local resident Ahmed al-Brim expressed shock over the widespread destruction in the city, which used to serve as one of Hamas’s main headquarters.

“We went to our area – it was exterminated,” al-Brim recalled. “We don’t know where we will go after that,” he added with concern.

Muhannad al-Shawaf, another Khan Younis resident, echoed similar sentiments of shock.

“The destruction is huge and indescribable – indescribable,” he said. “It is almost all in ruins and not suitable for living in,” the Gazan resident added.

U.S. President Donald Trump who brokered the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, visited on Monday where he addressed the Israeli Knesset and met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog. On Tuesday, Trump is scheduled to attend a top level international conference in Egypt on Gaza with leaders from Arab and European nations.

While Trump has stated with confidence that the Gaza war is over, many Gazans find it difficult to celebrate amid the rubble of their former homes.

“Okay, it is over — then what? There is no home I can go back to,” said Balquees, a mother with five children from Gaza City who was until recently living in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.

“They have destroyed everything. Tens of thousands of people are dead, the Gaza Strip is in ruins, and they made a ceasefire. Am I supposed to be happy? No, I am not,” she added.

Mustafa Ibrahim, a Gazan human rights activist from Gaza City, expressed similar emotions.

“Laughter has vanished and tears have run dry,” Ibrahim argued. “The people of Gaza are lost, as if they are the walking dead, searching for a distant future,” he added.

Ismail Zayda, a 40-year-old father of three, expressed gratitude that his home was spared during the intense fighting in Gaza.

“Thank God, my house is still standing,” Zayda said in an interview with the news outlet Reuters. “But the area is destroyed, my neighbors’ houses are destroyed – entire districts are gone,” he added.

Gaza’s Hamas-controlled Health Ministry claims that over 67,00 people in Gaza died during the two years of war with Israel. However, Hamas systematically inflates civilian casualties and does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.

The Israeli military has estimated that it eliminated at least 22,000 terrorists from Hamas and other factions during the war in addition to over 1,000 terrorists killed inside Israel during the Oct. 7 invasion in 2023.