Palestinians hesitate to leave shelters to return to the rubble of what was once their home

Описание: (21 Jan 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Rafah, Gaza Strip - 20 January 2025
1. Various of people carrying belongings in cars and horse cart
2. Various of destroyed buildings
3. Various of people walking among rubble
4. Various of men and children looking at rubble
5. Various of Hussein Barakat and other seated in sofa in middle of rubble drinking tea
6. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Hussein Barakat, displaced, owner of destroyed house:
"We wanted to come back to put up a tent during the ceasefire. As you can see it became a ghost town. There is no water. There is nothing. There isn't even any level ground you can stay on."
7. Various of people walking and searching for belongings
8. Various of Youssef Al-Sharqawi standing near rubble of what was his house
9. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Youssef Al-Sharqawi, displaced, owner of a destroyed house:
"I’m searching under the rubble for clothes that my children could wear. We’re pulling out our stuff and our situation is dire.”
10. Mid of Youssef Al-Sharqawi searching under rubble
11. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Youssef Al-Sharqawi displaced, owner of destroyed house:
"Our fate is that we’re in the streets and no one is searching for us…I have a boy and it's cold all night. The boy cries all night and his mother is breastfeeding and I have five children. It's cold all night and we can’t tolerate it. We’re in winter. We shiver at night. We can’t bear it. “
12. Various of Al-Sharqawi looking at rubble
13. People walking among rubble of destroyed buildings
14. Various of woman seated and looking at destruction
15. Various of Palestinian flag and destruction behind
16. Man sitting in damaged sofa in middle of rubble
17. Various of people searching for their belongings and other things under rubble
18. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mohammed Al-Ballas, displaced and owner of destroyed house:
"We’re staying at the place, we’re displaced because we’ll find no place to put up a tent or return to our homes or to do anything because, as you can see the area, even if you tried to tie up an animal here, it will not live. There is no water or any life necessities such as water, electricity, and sanitation system.”
19. Various of people removing dust and debris
20. Various of people checking clothes and objects among rubble
21. Various of destruction, men seated in sofa drinking tea and people walking among the rubble

STORYLINE:
When a ceasefire was declared on Sunday in Gaza many displaced Palestinians were looking forward to returning home.

But after seeing the wreckage of their former homes in Rafah, the southernmost area in the Gaza Strip, many are now hesitant about leaving the temporary shelters that they fled to after being displaced by the war.

“We wanted to come back to put up a tent after the ceasefire. As you can see it has become a ghost town. There is no water. There is nothing. There isn't even any level ground you can stay on,” said Hussein Barakat.

Footage shot by The Associated Press showed displaced residents digging through rubble with bare hands.

Youssef al-Sharqawi sifted through the ruins of his destroyed home to try and retrieve clothes for his five children, including his little son who has struggled to tolerate the winter's cold at night.

"I have a boy and it's cold all night. The boy cries all night and his mother is breastfeeding and I have five children. It's cold all night and we can’t tolerate it, we’re in winter. We shiver at night. We can’t bear it," he said.



"Even if you tried to tie up an animal here, it will not live," he said.






Nearly 100 hostages remain in Gaza.





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