Displaced Gazans face daunting return as ceasefire set to begin

As a ceasefire in the Gaza war is set to take effect on Sunday at 8:30am local time, Palestinians face the monumental task of rebuilding their shattered territory where most structures lie in ruins and nearly all 2.4 million residents have been displaced at least once during 15 months of conflict.

- Agencies

JERUSALEM/GAZA STRIP:

The scale of destruction is staggering. According to United Nations estimates, 69% of buildings in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, including over 245,000 homes.

The World Bank has estimated $18.5 billion in damage from just the first four months of fighting—nearly equivalent to the combined economic output of Gaza and the West Bank in 2022.

"Everything has been destroyed. Children are on the streets. You can't pinpoint just one priority," said Amande Bazerolle, a coordinator with Doctors Without Borders (MSF), speaking by phone from Gaza.

The war, triggered by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel that killed 1,210 people, has left 46,899 Palestinians dead, according to Gaza health ministry figures cited by the UN as reliable.

Nearly every aspect of life and infrastructure in the territory has been affected, from hospitals to water systems.

Uprooted millions

For many displaced Palestinians living in sprawling tent camps, the ceasefire brings hope of return—even if only to rubble. "I will take my tent, remove the rubble from the house and place my tent on the rubble, where I will live with my 10 children," said Umm Khalil Bakr at the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza.

In the camps, Palestinians have struggled to maintain a semblance of dignity amid dire conditions. They bake flatbread on clay ovens, play cards to pass time between bombings, and sweep the streets as an act of defiance against their circumstances.