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Hundreds of visitors have made their way to the Tel Al Sultan neighbourhood in Rafah since the Gaza ceasefire began on Sunday, drawn to the site where Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed by the Israeli military on October 16 last year.
The house where Mr Sinwar spent his final moments, now a pile of rubble, is being seen as a symbol of honour and defiance, with some residents already starting to call the area Tel Al Sinwar as a tribute to his legacy.
Drone footage released by the Israeli military after Mr Sinwar's death showed a man sitting in an armchair inside a house, apparently wounded. The military said he was among a group of militants spotted by soldiers who opened fire on them and then called in an air strike.
Israel had been hunting for Mr Sinwar since the deadly Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, that led to the Israeli military offensive in Gaza. He was thought to have been hiding in Hamas's network of tunnels deep underground as Israeli bombardment devastated homes, hospitals and infrastructure and displaced most of the population in the small Palestinian territory.
“I am so proud that Sinwar was martyred in my house,” said Ashraf Abu Taha, 52. Like many Rafah residents, he fled his home when Israeli troops invaded the city in May. He returned after the ceasefire began to find his home in ruins, but he views this as an honour.
“I’m not sad that my house was destroyed because the last one to stay in it was Sinwar,” Mr Abu Taha said.
“People have been visiting non-stop to take photos and to remember the legacy of Sinwar,” he said. “I plan to turn the house into a shrine to honour his memory. I’m thinking of rebuilding it and dedicating a special room as a museum, showcasing the items Sinwar used during his last moments.”
Mr Abu Taha even spent hours digging out the armchair where Mr Sinwar sat.
Mahmoud Abu Omar, from Khan Younis, said he walked seven kilometres to visit the house. “I wanted to come here because I’m proud of Sinwar’s legacy,” he told The National.
He posed for a photo on the armchair, saying, “This couch shows Sinwar in his final moments and proves that he wasn’t hiding – he was fighting alongside his comrades.”
Like many other visitors, Mr Abu Omar believes the site represents honour and resilience. “I wish he had been martyred in my house,” he said.
The site of Mr Abu Taha's home is part of a broader landscape of devastation in Rafah. Ahmed Al Sufi, mayor of the southern city, said it had been “reduced to rubble and ruins” by Israel.
Thirty of Rafah's municipal centres have been completely destroyed, along with 90 per cent of residential areas in several neighbourhoods, Mr Al Sufi said on Sunday.
Fifteen wells were demolished, cutting off access to clean water, and nine medical centres, including four major hospitals, were rendered inoperable, he said.
The destruction has made it a challenge to live in Rafah. Despite this, many residents have decided to return and start rebuilding their lives amid the ruins.
Mohammed Abed Al Atti found his home reduced to rubble. Yet he chose to stay rather than return to Al Mawasi in Khan Younis, where tens of thousands of Gazans have been living in tents after being displaced during the conflict.
“I came back to my house on the first day of the ceasefire,” Mr Al Atti told The National. “I brought a tent with me from Al Mawasi. I will stay here despite the destruction because my house is a part of me.”
He said he has no access to water, electricity or basic amenities, and makes daily trips to Khan Younis to fetch water and food.
“The hardest part is securing drinking water and water for daily use. All we ask for is a solution to this water crisis for those of us who have decided to stay,” he said.
Yousef Abu Amarna, another Rafah resident who returned, has set up a tent on the rubble of his home. “We want to continue our lives and rebuild anything that helps us live in our place,” he said.
“When I came back, I couldn’t even recognise where my home was – the destruction was so great that it was impossible to differentiate my house from my neighbour’s. It’s heartbreaking.”
Mr Abu Armana and 10 family members have resolved to remain in their neighbourhood.
“The hardest part of all this is displacement,” he said.
“To live as a stranger in another place is unbearable. That’s why I preferred to come back here and start cleaning. Even if it takes years, I’ll stay to remove the rubble and rebuild my life.”
