Hope Amidst Destruction: Khan Younis Residents Witness the Devastation of Their Former Neighborhoods
Discover the challenges faced by Palestinians returning to Khan Younis after being displaced by military actions, as they confront the ruins left by past conflicts in this southern Gaza city.
Many Palestinians who were displaced from their homes in Khan Younis due to Israel's military offensive are starting to come back to the southern Gaza city. After Israeli forces pulled out, they are returning to find their old neighborhoods in ruins.
A video captured by a CNN reporter shows a group of returning residents exploring the devastated city. Some are seen climbing on top of destroyed buildings, searching through piles of rubble that used to be their homes.
The Israeli military announced on Sunday that it had pulled out its ground forces from Khan Younis after intense clashes in an area identified as a key Hamas base. The city, which used to be inhabited by a large population, has been heavily damaged. Video footage reveals demolished homes and streets filled with rubble and trash.
In the video, we see residents coming back to gather their remaining belongings such as mattresses, carpets, kitchen items, and pieces of wood. Some children are seen carrying sofas and chairs on their backs as they try to salvage what they can from the destruction.
One man driving through the rubble on his motorbike comments, "This is what Gaza has turned into."
Former residents made their way back using various modes of transportation - some on foot, some on bicycles, some on pickup trucks, and some on the back of donkeys.
Former residents retrieve belongings from their homes in Khan Younis, Gaza, on April 7, 2024.
Former residents retrieve belongings from their homes in Khan Younis, Gaza, on April 7, 2024.
Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images
‘Devastation everywhere’
Sitting on a dusty rug with a big cushion supporting her back, 12-year-old Aseel gestures towards a heap of debris in front of her. She explains that this is where her home once stood. "There it was, it's destroyed," she sadly remarks.
Our house was destroyed. We saved a few furniture items but could only rescue small belongings. I really wanted to get my clothes.
Another Palestinian youth named Tamar is seen carrying pieces of wood.
He explains that he will sell them to make 10 to 20 shekels, so he never has to beg for money from people.
Tamar says he didn't recognize his house when he first returned. He mentions that without his neighbors, he wouldn't have known it was his house due to the devastation everywhere.
Tamar carries wood to sell.
Tamar carries wood to sell.
CNN
The vast majority of buildings in the footage, including homes, offices and mosques, have been significantly damaged and many are entirely flattened.
The European Hospital in Gaza announced on Monday that 46 Palestinian bodies were found after Israel withdrew from Khan Younis. Most of them were discovered under the wreckage of destroyed buildings.
The remaining buildings in the area are heavily damaged, with bullet holes and artillery marks, and covered in soot.
Empty bullet shells and the remains of a mortar are scattered on the ground.
Another former resident, Saad, expresses, "My house was completely destroyed. It used to be three stories high, but now it's just a pile of rubble. I have lost all my memories along with it. Everyone here is in the same situation. The area was destroyed in a barbaric and deliberate manner."
Mahmoud Ahmad, an elderly man, is standing inside his home that has been destroyed, leaving only the frame. He gestures towards different areas that used to be rooms, reminiscing about what used to be there and what he has lost.
He points to a spot and says, "That used to be my washing machine, it was burned by the Israelis. Over here was a nice little sitting area, but now it's all gone. Look, that was my fridge, the door is missing. This area used to be the kitchen, but there's nothing left now."
Graffiti left in a building in Khan Younis after Israel pulled its ground forces out of the southern city in Gaza. April 7, 2024.
Graffiti left in a building in Khan Younis after Israel pulled its ground forces out of the southern city in Gaza. April 7, 2024.
AFP/Getty Images
‘They destroyed us’
In Khan Younis, the sound of Israeli drones flying above can be heard along with occasional gunshots.
On the walls of a telecoms company office, there are Stars of David and anti-Arab profanities written in English.
A marking in Arabic on the wall inside a damaged building claims, "Gaza belongs to the Jews."
According to Gaza's Ministry of Interior, before the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel, Khan Younis, the second-largest city in Gaza, was home to over 400,000 people.
In the early days of the war, the city provided refuge for many Palestinian civilians escaping Israeli military actions in northern Gaza.
However, as Israeli forces launched an attack on Khan Younis in early December, residents had to move southward to find safety.
Graffiti left inside a building in Khan Younis, Gaza on April 7, 2024.
Graffiti left inside a building in Khan Younis, Gaza on April 7, 2024.
AFP/Getty Images
More than a million Palestinians are now sheltering in dire humanitarian conditions in the southern city of Rafah, where Israel is also planning an offensive.
Even for those who are able to return to Khan Younis, there is not much comfort to be found. Among the people featured in the CNN video is Abdelkarim, a young Palestinian who is sitting next to his school that has been destroyed.
While sheltering in Rafah, he passed the time by reading and writing since he couldn't return to school.
He expressed his concern about the lack of opportunities for learning, saying, "How will we continue our education now? Our childhood has been taken away from us. We feel like we have been destroyed."
CNN’s Nadeen Ebrahim contributed to this article.
Editor's P/S:
The article vividly portrays the devastation inflicted upon the city of Khan Younis after the Israeli military offensive. Returning residents are greeted by shattered homes, rubble-strewn streets, and a shattered sense of community. Their belongings, memories, and even a semblance of normalcy have been reduced to dust. The sheer scale of the destruction is heartbreaking and casts a shadow over the hope of rebuilding and reconciliation.
As residents struggle to come to terms with their losses, they face an uncertain future amidst ongoing conflict. The lack of educational opportunities for children like Abdelkarim underscores the profound impact of the violence on their lives. The article also highlights the pervasive anti-Arab sentiment and hateful graffiti left behind by Israeli forces, adding insult to injury. The conflict in Khan Younis and Gaza as a whole is a tragic reminder of the human cost of war and the urgent need for a peaceful resolution that respects the dignity and rights of all those affected.
