Israeli soldiers near the Jabalia refugee camp, on the outskirts of Gaza city. EPA
Israeli soldiers near the Jabalia refugee camp, on the outskirts of Gaza city. EPA
Israeli soldiers near the Jabalia refugee camp, on the outskirts of Gaza city. EPA
Israeli soldiers near the Jabalia refugee camp, on the outskirts of Gaza city. EPA

Gazans horrified to find homes ransacked and graffitied by Israeli troops


Nagham Mohanna
  • English
  • Arabic

Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza

Israeli soldiers have graffitied and ransacked Gazan homes in the north of the besieged enclave, residents told The National.

“Their only concern is killing, destroying and ruining" the psyches of Gazans, said Raghed Ghabn, a resident who returned to his home to find it vandalised by Israeli soldiers.

Members of the army have damaged homes in the enclave, filing them with disrespectful logos and statements after people were forced to flee. Some Gazans have been displaced more than once since the war erupted on October 7.

Mr Ghabn, from Bait Lahiya in northern Gaza, returned to his home after Israeli soldiers withdrew from the area and was relieved to find the building was still standing despite Israeli air strikes across the enclave. But what he saw inside the house forced him to return to the Jabilia refugee camp.

“When we returned, we found all the pictures of my son, who was killed in the war, smudged, and some of the photos were used by the soldiers to wipe their dirt,” Mr Ghabn told The National.

The soldiers drew “insulting phrases on the walls of the house in a very vulgar way", he said.

At first, Mr Ghabn and his family did not understand the phrases and had to ask for them to be translated. “When I learnt their translation, I cried because it was humiliating to my son,” he said.

Samer Akkil, from Tal Al Zaatar, also discovered phrases written by soldiers on the walls of his home.

“We tried to translate some of them with the help of a neighbour who speaks Hebrew to understand their meaning and found out phrases like 'Death to Hamas' and 'Hamas is terrorism'," he told The National.

“Some soldiers wrote obscene words on the walls, insulting the Palestinian people and the people of Gaza. There were also threatening and intimidating words directed towards Palestinians on the walls."

The Israeli army also occupied Al Saftwai area north of Gaza city, which became a scene of heavy fighting, with graffiti written across the neighbourhood.

“In our area, we found soldiers had written many phrases and drawn maps and operation plans on the walls of houses and streets,” resident Yahia Madi told The National.

Mr Madi said residents were cleaning their homes and the walls of the area, which were covered with black spray paint. The Star of David often accompanied the graffiti.

“Honestly, much of what was written we couldn't translate, and some was in Arabic. But, overall, the talk was derogatory towards Arabs and Muslims,” he said.

Momen Hijazi, from Tal Al Zaatar, said he was disturbed by the behaviour of Israeli soldiers towards civilians in the area.

“It was a tough feeling, truly, when we found the walls of our neighbourhood were turned into drawing papers by the occupation soldiers,” he told The National.

“They drew the Star of David, defaced buildings and created shapes that insult Arabs. They left phrases in Arabic like 'Hamas kills the people' and 'We will take revenge against you', among others."

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Toss: Sindhis, elected to field first

Pakhtoons 137-6 (10 ov)

Fletcher 68 not out; Cutting 2-14

Sindhis 129-8 (10 ov)

Perera 47; Sohail 2-18

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
All Blacks line-up for third Test

J Barrett; I Dagg, A Lienert-Brown, N Laumape, J Savea; B Barrett, A Smith; J Moody, C Taylor, O Franks, B Retallick, S Whitelock, J Kaino, S Cane, K Read (capt).

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1. Fasting 

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One in four Americans don't plan to retire

Nearly a quarter of Americans say they never plan to retire, according to a poll that suggests a disconnection between individuals' retirement plans and the realities of ageing in the workforce.

Experts say illness, injury, layoffs and caregiving responsibilities often force older workers to leave their jobs sooner than they'd like.

According to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research, 23 per cent of workers, including nearly two in 10 of those over 50, don't expect to stop working. Roughly another quarter of Americans say they will continue working beyond their 65th birthday.

According to government data, about one in five people 65 and older was working or actively looking for a job in June. The study surveyed 1,423 adults in February this year.

For many, money has a lot to do with the decision to keep working.

"The average retirement age that we see in the data has gone up a little bit, but it hasn't gone up that much," says Anqi Chen, assistant director of savings research at the Centre for Retirement Research at Boston College. "So people have to live in retirement much longer, and they may not have enough assets to support themselves in retirement."

When asked how financially comfortable they feel about retirement, 14 per cent of Americans under the age of 50 and 29 per cent over 50 say they feel extremely or very prepared, according to the poll. About another four in 10 older adults say they do feel somewhat prepared, while just about one-third feel unprepared. 

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She searched for work in the immediate aftermath of her layoff, a process she describes as akin to "banging my head against a wall." Finding Manhattan too expensive without a steady stream of income, she eventually moved to Portland, Maine. A few years later, she moved again, to Lake Oswego, Oregon. "Sometimes I fantasise that if I win the lottery, I'd go back to New York," says Ms Bennett.

 

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Replacements 16 Jamie George, 17 Alec Hepburn, 18 Harry Williams, 19 George Kruis, 20 Sam Underhill, 21 Danny Care, 22 Jonathan Joseph, 23 Jack Nowell

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Biog

Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara

He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada

Father of two sons, grandfather of six

Plays golf once a week

Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family

Walks for an hour every morning

Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India

2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business

 

Updated: February 12, 2024, 10:52 AM`