Displaced Palestinians returning home to the town of Jabalya in northern Gaza have found scenes of devastation, with homes and schools turned to rubble – the aftermath of three weeks of Israeli incursion.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) withdrew from Jabalya on Friday, claiming to have destroyed 10km of Hamas tunnels and recovered the bodies of seven hostages.
In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday, the Palestinian Prime Minister's office said Jabalya camp, 'once full of life, now lies lifeless under Israeli-made ruins.'
Footage taken by a source stringer in Jabalya showed residents returning home by car, on bicycle and on foot, to find streets almost impassable due to the rubble from destroyed buildings. Homes were left unrecognizable as bodies were recovered from the ruins.
Ihab Abu Namous, a 45-year-old father-of-four, expressed his devastation upon seeing his completely wiped-out house after the Israeli army withdrew from Jabalya.
Another resident, Ashraf Thabet, revealed that the Israeli army had used his house as a military barracks, causing major damage that rendered the house uninhabitable on all floors.
Poultry seller Muhammad Okal described the current situation in Jabalya as one of frustration, despair, and exhaustion, with streets destroyed to the extent that neither cars nor carts can navigate due to the widespread destruction.
