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This article was first published on our sister site, independent arab
With a hammer in one hand and a stone in the other, Khalil makes a resolution: “I can’t wait for the promises of rebuilding.”
He climbs broken stairs and reaches his ruined apartment, which is no longer livable. Despite this, he still feels that what remains of his home is a small homeland to which he wishes to return.
Khalil lives Gaza The city, where Israel carried out the disastrous Operation Gideon’s Chariot II in the weeks before the ceasefire. Israeli army left behind him such terrible destruction It felt as if an earth-shaking earthquake had occurred.
Israeli forces used military robot equipped with explosives Blowing up buildings, causing widespread damage to infrastructure and facilities.
When Israeli forces withdrew from the Gaza Strip’s city centers to the yellow line agreed upon in the peace plan, Khalil immediately returned to his home to investigate.
He was shocked by what he found: cement had been removed from the building’s foundation, meaning that the residential structure there is a risk of collapseLooking at the pillars, he was overcome with deep sorrow, but he immediately remembered that he was living in a worn-out, impractical tent pitched on the road,
The ladder was hit by artillery fire and was torn to pieces. He struggled to climb the stairs to reach his apartment, only to discover that all that was left was “nothing but concrete pillars”.
talking to independent arabHe reported: “All the walls collapsed as a result of the explosion. Despite this, I resolved to rebuild everything traditionally and live there again. Even in its ruined state, my house is better than living in a classroom or in a torn tent on the street.”
Khalil looked around and found stones scattered by the bombardment. He immediately picked up suitable stones and carried them to his apartment, and stacked the stones on top of each other to build a new living room wall in place of the wall that had collapsed in the explosions.
There are no new building bricks in Gaza due to the war, so Khalil had to buy reinforced nylon sheets to replace fallen walls in his home. As for the kitchen, they saved wood from pallets to make simple cabinets to replace the cabinets.
He explains that temporary reconstruction of the remains of houses in Gaza is very expensive and requires hard work.
“We start by clearing debris and repairing broken walls, but there are no stairs, doors, windows or furniture. The house is completely empty,” he says.
This is how Khalil repairs his house: a stone over a piece of nylon over rotten wood. Being able to stay in his home gives him comfort. He points to the pile of stones scattered around him, which he has painstakingly transformed into building material.
“I broke large stones into smaller pieces of gravel, then mixed them and used them to rebuild a collapsed wall. I’m working on repairing at least two rooms, as well as the kitchen and bathroom. I’ll cover the rest of the house with nylon. We’re trying to find some semblance of life.”
community led reconstruction
Gaza has turned into a makeshift reconstruction workshop where people are working to rebuild the remains of houses and concrete structures. Men, women and children are working together to repair destroyed, uninhabitable homes.
They are saving the stones that once made beautiful buildings from the ruins scattered around them.
Having endured several violent wars over the past 20 years, the people of Gaza have gained extensive experience in reconstruction. Because of this, they see the promise of rebuilding Gaza as a nothing more than media rhetoric,
This time too, they have decided to immediately begin a grassroots reconstruction project to repair the remains of their homes.
‘Grassroots reconstruction’ is a term that can have many meanings in Gaza. Sometimes it refers to the rehabilitation of damaged buildings, sometimes to youth volunteer initiatives. Remove debris and clean up the neighborhoodAnd sometimes for primary repairs of buildings and shops.
However, in all cases, homeowners must bear the cost of construction themselves, as it is not included in the compensation allocated for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.
“I have missed this blessing a lot,” Saleh says with a laugh, leaning his back against the wall. In displacement camps, he was living a bleak life in tents made of tattered pieces of cloth. However, when he returned to his half-destroyed house and rested against its walls, he felt happy.
Saleh describes himself as “very lucky” because his house was not completely destroyed.
He says, “As long as the pillars of the house are standing, and the roof and floor are intact, I can wake up and sleep freely and enjoy the privacy of my own home.”
Najah’s house has also been converted into a collective workshop. His brother hammers on the windows while his neighbor helps hang sheets of reinforced nylon.
“They burned my house and left the walls riddled with bullets and shells, but despite the lack of basic necessities like water and electricity, we still have our dignity,” says Najah.
Najah’s family uses basic equipment. Women clean and remove debris from the house, while young men straighten bent iron rods and reuse them to strengthen the walls. Her father mixes cement by hand in small buckets to build one room at a time.
Everyone gets involved in the work at Najah’s flat. Reconstruction at the grassroots level is not easy. Materials are expensive and not getting any helpBut the neighbors extend a helping hand.
One of them gives them an old door while the other shares his staircase with them. “Every day, we build stone by stone and we will slowly return to life,” says Najah.
After a tiring day of work that has left her breathless, Najah prepares a cup of tea.
“We don’t want to wait to rebuild our house and we’re not waiting for a grant,” she says. “We’re renovating our house with the most simple things. It’s true that the house is no longer what it used to be, but the feeling remains the same.”
international pledges
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has estimated Cost of rebuilding the Gaza Strip At around $70 billion (£53 million).
“There are 61 million tonnes of debris in the Strip, making reconstruction one of the largest humanitarian and reconstruction missions in the world,” says Jaco Cilliers, Special Representative of the Program for Assistance to the Palestinian People.
Gazans are forced to rebuild themselves as their tents deteriorate and winter approaches. “About 1.5 million people in Gaza were left homeless after Israel destroyed their homes,” says Ismail al-Thawbta, director general of the government media office in Gaza.
Displaced Gazans find themselves forced to live in the open after more than 300,000 homes were destroyed and supplies of new tents and essential winter shelter equipment are being prevented from entering.
talking to independent arabHe said: “Out of 135,000 tents, 125,000 [in Gaza] have collapsed, making them unfit for habitation. Israel’s refusal to allow entry into temporary housing or tents has further increased the suffering of the displaced.”
Due to Israeli sanctions, Gazans are rehabilitating their homes themselves.
Gaza Municipality spokesman Asim al-Nabih says: “Debris clearance and reconstruction are significant challenges. Given this reality, citizens have limited options, so they have turned to collective community-based reconstruction. However, debris clearance is very expensive and equipment is lacking.
“People-to-people reconstruction has emerged as a necessary solution and a tool for managing the crisis, as families have begun repairing their homes with whatever stone, iron and wood they can find. However, there are significant challenges associated with community-led reconstruction.
“Most importantly, the repaired houses are structurally unsafe, making them prone to collapse. There is also a lack of basic services like water, electricity and sanitation.”
Translated by Mirane Abouzaki; reviewed by Tooba Khokhar And celine asaf