Fatima Ahmed, 37, tirelessly sweeps away the remnants of war from her apartment in Gaza City, where rubble and missile fragments litter every corner. When she first returned to her home in Tel Al-Hawa, relief washed over her—her building was still standing. Yet, before she could move back in, she faced the daunting task of cleaning and repairing the devastation left behind. A gaping hole in her living room wall exposed her home to the street, another breach marred a second room, and the weight of destruction loomed over her. But unlike the thousands who lost everything, she felt fortunate. Determined, she rolled up her sleeves, knowing that reclaiming her home was her only escape from the suffering of life in a tent or an overcrowded shelter.
A few streets away, Mohammed Ayoub, 55, leans against the cracked wall of his home in the Zaytoun neighborhood. Despite the dangers, he refuses to leave, having no alternative but to patch up his house and stay. Artillery shelling obliterated his kitchen, the bathroom wall collapsed, and massive holes riddle his ceiling, yet he clings to his home with unwavering resolve. With makeshift tools—plastic sheeting, wooden planks, and iron nails—he seals the gaping wounds of his house. Hanging from a rope ladder, he spends two grueling days repairing the destroyed sewage system. When he finally jumps down, exhausted but victorious, he shouts with defiant joy, "My home is ready to live in again."
According to the latest figures from the Ministry of Public Works, the Israeli assault has left over 280,000 housing units either completely destroyed or severely damaged. At least 170,000 homes have been reduced to rubble, while 80,000 are uninhabitable. Yet, despite the staggering scale of destruction, residents like Fatima and Mohammed refuse to surrender to despair. They rebuild with their bare hands, driven by an unyielding will to restore life to the ruins of their beloved city.Gaza’s people, battered but unbroken, continue to rise from the wreckage, turni
devastation into resilience. Each repaired wall, each swept floor, each reclaimed home is an act of defiance—a testament to their unshakable determination to survive.
