PHOTOS: Gazans use ‘ceasefire’ to pick up the pieces | +972 Magazine
Tens of thousands of Palestinians returned to their homes across the
Gaza Strip on July 26, after a 40-hour humanitarian ceasefire was agreed
to between Israel and Hamas. Over 200,000 Gazans have been displaced
since the beginning of Operation Protective Edge, due to Israeli
airstrikes across the Strip. The ceasefire came to an end on Sunday
morning after rockets exploded in Israeli territory overnight, and
Israel’s refusal to agree to an extension offered by Hamas.
The airstrikes destroyed homes, UN schools and hospitals last week,
leaving a trail of devastation and bodies buried underneath the rubble.
In places such as Shujaiyeh, and Abasan, Gazans spent the day digging
for bodies and belongings in the rubble of their former homes.
However some locations, such as Beit Hanoun and Khuza’a, were out of
reach for Palestinians. The dozens of residents of Khuza’a who fled the
village, were fired at when they tried to return. Some residents are
still trapped under the remains of houses, cut off from the outside
world.
Palestinians
inspect damages to a destroyed ambulance in the Shujaiyeh neighborhood
in east Gaza City during a ceasefire, July 26, 2014. During the July 26
ceasefire, many Palestinians went back to Shujaiyeh to inspect the
damages, while medics attempted to rescue the wounded or collect bodies.
Dozens of bodies were collected but many below the rubble, as
Palestinians do not have all the necessary equipment for digging.
Israeli attacks have turned the neighborhood into a scene of utter
devastation, with entire buildings flattened and thousands forced to
flee.
