In the midst of a still shaky ceasefire, Gazans are taking the first tentative steps along the long road to recovery.
Bull-dozers are clearing roads, shovelling the detritus of war into waiting trucks. Mountains of rubble and twisted metal are on either side, the remains of once bustling neighbourhoods. Parts of Gaza City are disfigured beyond recognition.
This was my house, says Abu Iyad Hamdouna, pointing to a mangled heap of concrete and steel in Sheikh Radwan, which was once one of Gaza City's most densely populated neighbourhoods. It was here. But there's no house left.
Abu Iyad is 63. If Gaza ever rises from the ashes, he doesn't expect to be around to see it. At this rate, I think it'll take 10 years. We'll be dead... we'll die without seeing reconstruction.
Nearby, 43-year-old Nihad al-Madhoun and his nephew Said are picking through the wreckage of what was once a home. The removal of rubble alone might take more than five years, he estimates. The sheer scale of the challenge is staggering, with the UN estimating damages at £53bn ($70bn), marking almost 300,000 homes destroyed.
The Gaza Strip is littered with dangerous unexploded bombs and a staggering 60 million tonnes of rubble. Gazans express skepticism towards grand designs drawn up by the international community. They long for a say in their future through local plans.
Among the competing visions is the Phoenix of Gaza, a grassroots initiative conceptualized by local experts that aims to revitalize what remains while rebuilding. Contrastingly, proposals from international circles, such as Trump’s Gaza Riviera, envision a futuristic metropolis that leaves the past behind. While Trump's bid portrays Gaza as an economic hub, locals fear it caters more to investors than to the community.
Yahya al-Sarraj, the Hamas-appointed mayor of Gaza, noted modest signs of recovery, but fundamentally emphasizes local needs. He recalls Gaza's resilient history, asserting that the community must spearhead its reconstruction plans.
Amidst this division, the Palestinian Authority, led by President Mahmoud Abbas, has also been drafting proposals, emphasizing the necessity of involving Gazans in the process to regain their collective identity—especially since many are descendants of Palestinian refugees.
While different plans surface, the path to reconstruction remains enmeshed in political complexities and the crucial need for funding. For Gazans like Hamdouna, priorities lie in immediate survival and the hope for a meaningful recovery, rather than waiting for distant dreams to materialize—Here we are, making tents, he laments, amidst the ruins.
