Life rising amid the rubble in Khan Younis (1/2)

On Jalal Street, in Khan Younis’s central commercial district, residents returning to their city walk past shocking scenes of destruction. The entire 13 floors of the Fara tower, which housed residential units and commercial offices and stores, have been flattened upon one another, forming a sobering backdrop as people make their way to homes that have also been turned into remnants of the past.

Following a bitter five-month displacement outside Khan Younis, residents have returned to evaluate their former homes scorched and destroyed by Israeli bombs, and are being displaced anew within their home neighborhoods. They sort through the rubble, seeking the will to remain where they once belonged. Those who have returned to settle down struggle with the lack of basic life necessities and all essential services, including health and education. Men traverse long distances to provide water for their families. Some are sheltering in uninhabitable homes, and others have set up tents upon or beside their homes’ ruins.

Despite the misery of it all, one young girl plays on a makeshift swing set up in the remains of her destroyed neighborhood.