6 months into Israel-Hamas warfare, Palestinians return to southern Gaza metropolis Khan Younis to search out “every little thing is destroyed”

After Israeli forces withdrew from town of Khan Younis in southern Gaza on Sunday, hundreds of Gazans returned to search out that “every little thing is destroyed.”

Malak, 13, was among the many hundreds of Palestinians who got here again to go looking by the rubble of their properties, hoping to search out any belongings which may have survived. She discovered nothing left.

“The whole lot is destroyed. There isn’t any life right here anymore,” she informed CBS Information. “Our desires are gone and so is our childhood… I wanted to return residence and examine, however all is gone.”

Small cities round Khan Younis, in addition to town itself, had been destroyed because the Israel Protection Forces spent weeks battling Hamas, with homes, factories and colleges all lowered to rubble. Israel launched its warfare on the Gaza Strip’s Hamas rulers in response to the Palestinian group’s Oct. 7 terror assault, which Israeli officers say left some 1,200 folks lifeless and greater than 200 others captive in Gaza.

Greater than 33,000 Palestinians have been killed within the territory since Israel launched its offensive, based on the Hamas-run Ministry of Well being, which doesn’t distinguish between civilian and combatant deaths.

One other girl, Suha Abdelghani, sat on the rubble of her Khan Younis residence, crying. She informed CBS Information she had seven kids and, earlier than the warfare, her husband labored in Israel to feed their household. Now, she stated they’re residing hand to mouth.

“My husband misplaced his job and we misplaced our residence,” Suha stated. “I’ve nowhere to go together with my kids. The whole lot is gone… I will not be capable to rebuild my residence once more in Gaza.”

Israel continued bombing targets in Gaza Tuesday as negotiations over a cease-fire and deal to return the remaining Israeli hostages continued in Cairo. 

Hamas informed the AFP information company that it was “finding out” a brand new proposal, which might see a 6-week pause within the preventing, the change of 40 girls and youngster hostages for a whole lot of Palestinian prisoners, and a whole lot of vehicles of support coming into Gaza per day.

A spokesman for Hamas informed CBS Information, nevertheless, that the newest negotiations over the weekend had been “set again.”

Israel’s navy has stated it now has only one division nonetheless contained in the Gaza Strip, positioned alongside the enclave’s border with Israel and to the north, the place Israel has constructed a brand new street chopping throughout Gaza from east to west, which is regarded as a part of its planning for after the warfare. The IDF stated the troops it pulled out of Gaza are recuperating and making ready for future missions.

Regardless of U.S. opposition, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated Monday that Israel had set a date for a floor offensive within the southern metropolis of Rafah, simply south of Khan Younis, the place round 1.5 million individuals are sheltering, although he didn’t specify the date.

“We’ve made clear to Israel that we predict a full-scale navy invasion of Rafah would have an enormously dangerous impact on these civilians and that it could in the end damage Israel’s safety,” State Division spokesman Matthew Miller stated Monday.

On Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris was scheduled to fulfill within the U.S. with the households of American hostages taken by Hamas or different teams in Gaza on Oct. 7.

CBS Information’ Holly Williams contributed to this report.