Rain threatens to cause the collapse of cracked buildings in Gaza on their inhabitants

Walaa Hijazi, a Palestinian woman in her fifties, stands amidst the ruins of her destroyed home in northern Gaza, as if time has stood still since the bombing. Pointing to the cracked walls of her house, she says, “Our house was 200 square meters. I lived here with my children. It was bombed during the war and was only partially destroyed, so we fled south. When we returned, we found it on the verge of collapse.”

Walaa walks cautiously among the rubble that fills the rooms, looking up at the sky through a hole in the roof. “When we walk inside the house, stones fall on our heads. Rainwater seeps through the holes in the roof and floods us. Every moment here brings a new danger.”

She pauses, takes a deep breath, and continues speaking to Al-Quds Al-Arabi: “At first glance, you’d think an earthquake struck this neighborhood. But this is the reality we live in. Where can I go? Next winter will only increase our suffering, and there are no alternatives.” Walaa concludes with a trembling voice: “Despite all that, we cannot leave our home. This is the place where we grew up, our children know our neighborhoods, and our memories cling to every corner. We return despite the danger because we have nothing but this life among the rubble.”

Following the ceasefire on October 10, the housing crisis in Gaza appears to be more complex than simply returning home; it is a struggle for survival. While some civilians have returned to their destroyed or dilapidated homes, the majority live under constant threat, as these homes could collapse on them at any moment.