In the wake of the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Khan Younis, Palestinians displaced by the military offensive have timidly begun to return to their homes, plunged into the anxiety of discovering devastated neighborhoods. Testifying to the extent of the damage, images filmed by an independent Fatshimetrie collaborator reveal an apocalyptic landscape.
The streets littered with debris and ruins bear witness to the din of months of fierce fighting and Israeli bombardments. The inhabitants, on foot, by bike, in trucks or on donkeys, explore the remains of their former places of life. Heartbreaking scenes unfold as bruised souls retrieve kitchen utensils, bags of food and anything else that can be salvaged from the rubble. Figures stand on destroyed rooftops in search of some semblance of normality in this unbearable chaos. “This is how Gaza looks now,” cries a man, crossing the rubble on his motorbike.
In a mournful ballet, the cameras reveal the extent of the damage, with almost all the buildings, from houses to mosques, reduced to pieces. The buildings still standing are covered in soot, riddled with bullet holes and artillery marks, with jagged facades.
As Israeli drones buzz overhead, detonations punctuate the atmosphere, plunging the city into an atmosphere of latent war. Graffiti, drawings of Stars of David and anti-Arab insults in English, mark the walls of a telecommunications office. “Gaza belongs to the Jews,” we read in Arabic next to the logo of the Basil Tel company in eastern Khan Younis.
Despite appearances, voices are raised to bear witness, to not let oblivion cover these gaping ruins. The resilience of the inhabitants, their courage to face the unspeakable and the erased memory of shattered lives remind the entire world of the urgency of rebuilding bridges, healing gaping wounds and restoring human dignity. In this ocean of desolation, fragments of humanity remain, ready to germinate in the ravaged land of Khan Younis.