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Gaza has turned into ruins due to the year-long war between Israel and Hamas. According to the New York Times, 60% of Gaza's buildings have been destroyed.
To eliminate Hamas, Israel destroyed areas that were once home to millions of people. Khan Yunis, Gaza City and Jabaliya have been most affected by Israeli air strikes.
According to the United Nations, after the war started in the Gaza Strip, 39 million tons of debris was generated till June this year. This includes sand, unexploded bombs, asbestos, hazardous materials and even human remains.
The World Bank report estimated that it would take 80 years to rebuild these ruined houses. However, the people living in Gaza neither have that much time left nor do they have enough money to compensate for it.
On the other hand, due to the destruction of crops and fields, a crisis of starvation has arisen, which has affected millions of people.
54% buildings of Khan Yunis were in ruins
Khan Yunis is a hundreds-year-old city located in the south of Gaza. The people of Khan Yunis say that their city has become a ghost town. The houses where they lived have been demolished with bulldozers. Hospitals, mosques and schools have been reduced to rubble by Israeli artillery. Israel says that such attacks are necessary to eliminate Hamas terrorists.
A citadel wall from the Mamluk era (1250–1517) survives within Khan Yunis. A year ago there used to be Citadel Square near this wall. Shopkeepers used to sell sweets here. People used to gather here to smoke hookah.
There used to be a 96 year old Grand Mosque at the same place. People used to go here to offer Friday prayers and stay up late at night with their families during the holy month of Ramadan for Muslims.
Now only the debris of the mosque is scattered here.
Gaza City- The oldest mosque destroyed
Gaza City is the capital of the Gaza Strip. It is located on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and has a population of approximately 20 lakhs. This is the most densely populated area in the world. Gaza is considered the stronghold of many civilizations including Phoenician, Roman, Ottoman.
The war has devastated Gaza's cultural and religious sites. It also includes the oldest mosque in Gaza. The al-Omari Mosque in Gaza was said to be the heart of the city. Prayers were taking place here for thousands of years. As power changed in Gaza, the methods of prayer also changed.
The Al-Omari Mosque used to be a Roman temple in the fifth century. A Byzantine church of Christians was built on its ruins. It was converted into a mosque in the seventh century. The Israeli army attacked the mosque in December and destroyed it.
The Israeli Army claimed that this was the command center of Hamas. Now only one wall of the mosque is left.
Jabaliya- 81% buildings destroyed
Jabaliya is in the northernmost part of the Gaza Strip. Jabaliya is known for its densely populated camps. After the Arab-Israeli war in 1948, millions of Palestinians were evicted from their homes, then this city was settled for refugees.
Jabaliya Camp was established in 1949 and is among the largest settlements of Palestinian refugees.
Jabaliya's Al-Trans Square, once the center of the city's social life, was called the heart of Jabaliya. It has been completely destroyed in Israeli attacks. The Israeli Army had described this area as one of the major centers of Hamas.
Israel destroyed the city by using more than 2,000 pounds of bombs in several attacks one after the other.
Al Trans intersection was known for the protests against Israel in 1987.
Also read this news related to Gaza… Mothers crying over dead bodies of children, dead bodies lying on the streets: What would have been seen if I had spent a year in Gaza; 365 days war in pictures
One year has passed since the Gaza war. More than 40 thousand people have been killed in Gaza in these 365 days. Within a year, death, suffering, hunger, destruction and shame have become the new reality of Gaza. Read the full news here…
