Following the ceasefire agreement between Israel and the militant group Hamas, Gazans are finally returning home. But, after 15 months of war, many residential neighborhoods have been reduced to rubble. DW met one family at their family house in the southern city of Rafah.
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00:00This used to be a neighbourhood where people lived, Tal el-Zultan in Rafah, southern Gaza,
00:07near the border with Egypt.
00:10Ali Fesaifas and his family were displaced four times during the war.
00:15After the ceasefire came into force on Sunday, he wasted no time in returning to see what
00:20was left of his home.
00:26I was in such a hurry to see my house, it was all I could think about.
00:30I just wanted to get there, whatever it took, just to see it.
00:34But when I saw it, I was shocked.
00:36I stood there for more than an hour, unable to move, paralysed by disbelief.
00:43It was one of the hardest days of our lives, I swear to God, seeing that scene.
00:48I never expected this.
00:49I never expected to see such devastation.
00:55We thought there might be damage, but not like this.
01:02All the local infrastructure is gone, and it's unclear if or when Israel and Egypt will
01:08allow building materials into Gaza.
01:10Fesaifas says he has no idea how to rebuild his house.
01:15And without work and income, it's even harder.
01:22If I were to rebuild this place with my own money, it might take me 60 or 70 years, maybe
01:2880 even.
01:29I'm 45 years old.
01:31How am I going to rebuild?
01:36In the meantime, people here are hoping for help that hasn't yet arrived.
01:41They're now saying they'll bring caravans for us to live in.
01:44We'll do whatever, but I want to stay near my house.
01:48But one major concern remains, that the temporary ceasefire might not hold.
01:55I pray to God that the truce continues.
01:58There's nothing left for them to destroy anyway.
02:01God willing, I hope the truce holds.
02:06And while Palestinians like Ali Fesaifas in southern Gaza have been able to return home,
02:13hundreds of thousands of others are still waiting for permission to return to northern Gaza.