- Title: Palestinians return to Gaza's Nuseirat to find homes in ruins
- Date: 18th April 2024
- Summary: NUSEIRAT, GAZA (APRIL 18, 2024) (VIDEO OBTAINED BY REUTERS) PEOPLE WALKING AND LOOKING THROUGH RUBBLE AMID SURROUNDING DESTRUCTION PEOPLE LOOKING THROUGH RUBBLE MATTRESS AND ITEMS BY RUBBLE PEOPLE LOOKING THROUGH RUBBLE PALESTINIAN NEIGHBOURS, RABAB MAGHARI AND AYA YOUSSEF, SITTING ON RUBBLE OF THE DAMAGED BUILDING THEY USED TO LIVE IN / DESTRUCTION AND PEOPLE LOOKING THROUGH RUBBLE BAGS OF BELONGINGS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN WOMAN, RABAB MAGHARI, SAYING: (SOUNDBITE STARTS ON MAGHARI POINTING OUT AT HER HOUSE AND ENDS ON SHOT SHOWING THE BUILDING OF HER DAMAGED HOUSE) "This is my home, or what remains of it, only a small part of my home. I can't reach it. I wish I can go up and take any simple thing from my house. A last look at my house. My dream was destroyed." VARIOUS OF MAGHARI AND YOUSSEF SITTING, LOOKING ON, TEARFUL (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN WOMAN, RABAB MAGHARI, SAYING: "As you can see, I have been living happily for ten years in my home. During the war, we would get displaced and then return. We left the last time, there was shelling in the area, and we were planning to come back. Just before they withdrew, one hour before, they hit the Burj (referring to the building where she lives) so our hope is all gone." DAMAGED BUILDING, RUBBLE / MAGHARI AND YOUSSEF SITTING MAGHARI AND YOUSSEF STANDING ON THE RUBBLE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN WOMAN, RABAB MAGHARI, SAYING: "There are no words to be said. The image expresses (things). People cannot talk (anymore). We don't know what to remember, the good memories, the last time we were at home. I cannot even reach my home. I don't exactly know where my apartment is anyway. I look and there are no features... Until the last moment, I had hope there would be a ceasefire and I come back home. And with their withdrawal, the house was gone. It's defeating, in all its meaning.” PEOPLE GATHERED IN STREET AMONG RUBBLE AND DESTROYED BUILDINGS MAGHARI AND YOUSSEF SITTING AMONG THE RUBBLE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN WOMAN, AYA YOUSSEF, SAYING: “God is our suffice and the best disposer of our affairs. Our dream was gone in a single moment. Our hard work is gone. Everything was gone in a single moment. Destruction.” VARIOUS OF PEOPLE IN STREET/UMM (MOTHER OF) ISLAM SEARCHING THROUGH RUBBLE UMM (MOTHER OF) ISLAM MOVING ITEMS AMONG DESTROYED BUILDING (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN WOMAN, UMM (MOTHER OF) ISLAM, SAYING: “Our house is gone. I will bring my son’s clothes, which were hanging on the washing line on the balcony, so he can wear it. (We are) a family of ten. Where should I get them clothes from? From where? All my furniture is gone. My whole house is gone. Our hard work is gone. The Burj (the tower) with thirty-five flats is gone. Thirty-five flats (families) have been displaced. Where should people go? God is my suffice and the best disposer of my affairs.” VARIOUS OF UMM (MOTHER OF) ISLAM, SEARCHING THROUGH HER PERSONAL BELONGINGS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN WOMAN, UMM (MOTHER OF) ISLAM, SAYING: “Our hard work. We became owners after twenty years. I have been living in it for thirteen years, since the tower was first built. I adore its walls. My soul is in it. My family died. The same way I cried over my mother, I cried about my house. My house is part of me. It is one of my children, my house. It is my and my children’s kingdom. I have ten (family members). Where should I go with them? My children’s room...my son had a desk. My son only recently passed his high school exams, and he wants to study. All his books have been destroyed. My daughter, her room has been destroyed. It is all new. It is all new and bought in installments. How will I pay it off?” UMM (MOTHER OF) ISLAM INSPECTING CLOTHES PEOPLE STANDING OUTSIDE DAMAGED BUILDING (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN WOMAN, UMM (MOTHER OF) ISLAM, SAYING: “God is my suffice and the best disposer of my affairs. We left with the clothes (that we were wearing). We have been five days in these clothes. Where should we go? I don’t know. I pick this (piece of clothing) up, I find it ruined. I pick this up, I find it burnt. I cannot find anything to support me.” VARIOUS OF PEOPLE AMONG RUBBLE
- Embargoed: 2nd May 2024 14:32
- Keywords: Gaza Israel Nuseirat refugee camp Palestinians aftermath
- Location: NUSEIRAT, GAZA
- City: NUSEIRAT, GAZA
- Country: Palestinian Occupied Territory
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Middle East
- Reuters ID: LVA001616018042024RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Palestinians in Nuseirat refugee camp in Central Gaza returned to their neighbourhoods on Thursday (April 18), after Israeli forces retreated from the camp late on Wednesday (April 17), residents and some Israeli media said.
Residents walked among the rubble and inspected their homes, some of which were severely damaged or destroyed.
"This is my home, or what remains of it, only a small part of my home. I can't reach it. I wish I can go up and take any simple thing from my house," said Rabab Maghari.
Umm Islam, another resident said she was trying to retrieve her children’s belongings from the building.
“Where should I get them clothes from? From where? All my furniture is gone. My whole house is gone. Our hard work is gone," she said.
The war began when Hamas led an attack on southern Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed and 253 taken hostage. Around 130 are still being held incommunicado in Gaza, Israel says.
Israel has launched a massive air and ground assault, with nearly 34,000 people confirmed killed, according to Palestinian medics, and thousands of others feared dead, still lost among the ruins.
(Production: Doaa Rouqa, Bassam Masoud, Nisreen Bathish) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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