Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Monday, Jun 16, 2025

Gazans amid the rubble of homes flattened by fighting

Gazans amid the rubble of homes flattened by fighting

After her house was levelled by an Israeli strike, Najah Nabhan wonders what will become of her and dozens of relatives left homeless by the latest fighting to hit Gaza.
“I’d barely reached the street, then the house was bombed,” said Nabhan, standing next to a mangled heap of concrete slabs and breeze blocks that had been the family home.

Dozens of homes were destroyed during five days of fighting, which erupted when the Israeli military launched deadly strikes on top militants from the Islamic Jihad militant group.

Nabhan, 56, has been trying to care for her children and grandchildren, many of whom have disabilities, since they were left homeless on Saturday.

“I borrow clothes from the neighbors for them. I didn’t take anything with me,” she said, in the Bir Al-Najeh neighborhood of northern Gaza.

The family said they were warned in a phone call from the Israeli military that a strike was imminent, but the army did not detail why it targeted the house when asked by AFP.

In total, 103 homes were completely destroyed and 140 severely damaged in the fighting, the United Nations said Tuesday, citing officials in Gaza.

Belal Nabhan, 35, earns just 10 shekels ($2.70) a day selling parsley in the market, and said he remains in a state of shock.

“People were screaming and we ran away... now 45 people are staying here, where will they go? They need shelter,” he said, indicating relatives resting beside the rubble.

Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza, which is ruled by Islamist group Hamas, have fought multiple wars in recent years.

The ruins of past conflicts — such as a three-day escalation in August which killed 49 Gazans — are dotted across the densely populated Palestinian territory.

With Gaza’s poverty rate at 53 percent, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, few people can afford to rebuild their homes.

In Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza, children clambered atop a huge mound of concrete and rebar flattened by Israeli bombardment.

In the tightly-packed neighborhood, Mohammed Zidan’s home escaped a direct hit but the blast was so powerful it blew out the walls.

“Because you want to strike one person, you don’t need to destroy a whole apartment complex,” said the 29-year-old.

“I’m a young man, living in my house, with my children in my home. I’m focusing on my work. What’s my fault, that you make me pay the price?“

As Zidan stepped over the remains of his bedroom on Monday, Palestinians elsewhere were commemorating the Nakba, or catastrophe.

It marks the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes, in the war which erupted when Israel was created in 1948.

“We will stay living the life of the Nakba, continuously,” said Zidan, who has taken to sleeping on the street behind his home.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to an enquiry from AFP on why it targeted the neighborhood.

A fragile cease-fire has largely held since late Saturday, ending the repeated rounds of Israeli strikes and volleys of rocket fire launched by Palestinian militants.

The fighting killed 33 people in Gaza, including children as well as militants, and two civilians in Israel.

Sitting in a donated wheelchair in Bir Al-Najeh, Haneen Nabhan said she fainted when she heard her home was destroyed.

“I used to take medicine, but the medicine’s in the rubble,” she said.

“All my dreams were in the house, and my dreams are gone.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
Trump's Anti-War Stance Tested Amid Israel-Iran Conflict
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi Urges Overthrow of Khamenei Regime
Wreck of $17 Billion San José Galleon Identified Off Colombia After 300 Years
Iran Launches Extensive Missile Attack on Israel Following Israeli Strikes on Nuclear Sites
Israel Issues Ultimatum to Iran Over Potential Retaliation and Nuclear Facilities
Black Box Recovered from Air India Crash Site
Coinbase CEO Warns Bitcoin Could Supplant US Dollar Amid Mounting National Debt
Trump to Iran: Make a Deal — Sign or Die
Operation "Like a Lion": Israel Strikes Iran in Unprecedented Offensive
Israel Launches 'Operation Rising Lion' Targeting Iranian Nuclear and Military Sites
Israeli Forces Intercept Gaza-Bound Aid Vessel Carrying Greta Thunberg
IMF Warns of Severe Global Trade War Impacts on Emerging Markets
Syria to Reconnect to Global Economy After 14 Years of Isolation
Israel Confirms Arming Gaza Clan to Counter Hamas Influence
Global News Roundup: From Ukraine's strategic military strikes and Russia's demands and Tensions Escalate in Ukraine, to serious legal issues faced by Britons in Bali and Trump's media criticism, the latest developments highlight a turbulent landscape
U.S. Reduces Military Presence in Syria
Trump Demands Iran End All Uranium Enrichment in Nuclear Talks
Iran Warns Europe Against Politicizing UN Nuclear Report
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
UAE Offers Free ChatGPT Plus Subscriptions to Citizens
Lebanon Initiates Plan to Disarm Palestinian Factions
Iran and U.S. Make Limited Progress in Nuclear Talks
The Daily Debate: The Fall of the Dollar — Strategic Reset or Economic Self-Destruction?
Trump Administration's Tariff Policies and Dollar Strategy Spark Global Economic Debate
OpenAI Acquires Jony Ive’s Startup for $6.5 Billion to Build a Revolutionary “Third Core Device”
Turkey Weighs Citizens in Public as Erdoğan Launches National Slimming Campaign
Saudi-Spanish Business Forum Commences in Riyadh
Saudi Arabia and Spain Sign MoU to Boost SME Sectors
×