Rafah, a city in the southern Gaza Strip, is left in ruins after months of Israeli airstrikes. Palestinians return to find little more than rubble and debris, facing the devastating aftermath of the conflict.
A man sits amidst the rubble of his destroyed home in Rafah , a city in the southern Gaza Strip, as Palestinians return for the first time in months following the Israel i troops' withdrawal to the border, on January 20. RAFAH , Gaza Strip — For nearly 16 months, Israel i airstrikes relentlessly pounded the Gaza Strip, reducing entire neighborhoods to rubble and leveling tens of thousands of structures.
A ceasefire agreement that commenced last Sunday has temporarily halted the war between Israel and Hamas, but this small territory — home to approximately 2 million Palestinians — now lies in ruins. For the first time in eight months, NPR gained access to one of the affected cities this week. Rafah, where more than a million displaced Palestinians and most international aid workers sought refuge during the first half of the war, serves as a stark reminder of the devastation. The Rafah crossing with Egypt functioned as Gaza's lifeline, providing essential food, medical supplies, and fuel during those critical months. However, this city, like all of Gaza, was never truly safe. Entire families perished while sheltering in Rafah. Palestinians returning during the ceasefire encounter a landscape of little more than rubble and debris, remnants of the relentless Israeli airstrikes that have ravaged the region for over 15 months.Homes have been transformed into piles of rubble in Rafah, a city that sheltered a significant portion of the population during the initial stages of the war, and across Gaza. The once-thriving city now bears the scars of conflict, with the destroyed Abu Youssef al-Najjar hospital serving as a poignant symbol of the human cost. When Israeli ground troops invaded the city in May during their pursuit of Hamas, people were once again forced to flee. Israel's military asserts that it discovered Hamas tunnels and weapons in Rafah, and three months ago, it was the site where Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind behind the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel, was killed. Controlled demolitions, bulldozers, and heavy airstrikes by Israel during its eight-month-long incursion in Rafah have left the city devastated: approximately 16,000 buildings are completely destroyed, 80% of Rafah's agricultural land lies in ruins, and all of its electricity networks, landlines, water wells, and sewage pumping stations are either destroyed or severely damaged, according to the latest municipal figures. This selection of photographs showcases the city before Israeli ground forces entered in May 2024 — the last time NPR was there — and what it looks like in their wake. Rafah's skyline and buildings can be seen in this image from February 14, 2024. Israeli troops invaded the city in pursuit of Hamas three months later, leaving the city in ruins and most buildings destroyed
GAZA STRIP ISRAEL HAMAS CEASEFIRE DESTRUCTION AIRSTRIKES RAFAH
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