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With more than 90 per cent of homes in Gaza destroyed or damaged, Mohamed Al Khalidi was overcome with emotion to see his still standing on returning to the north-west of the enclave after 15 months of war.
His younger brother Zain, 17, was not so lucky, killed by gunfire. "We lost Zain, the dearest thing we had," Mr Al Khalidi told The National. "Even if we had 100 homes destroyed, it would not be as painful as losing a family member."
Since the Israel-Hamas ceasefire took effect and the two sides began exchanging hostages for detainees, many Palestinians displaced by the Gaza war have been making their way home by any means necessary. Transport is almost non-existent and many have undertaken arduous journeys on foot carrying their belongings and their children.
Mr Al Khalidi walked alone for four hours to reach his flat in Gaza city from the south of the strip, carrying only a small bag and his door key tied to a white ribbon hanging from his neck, along with an unwavering hope to see his home.
The trek was far from easy. Almost 70 per cent of the city has been flattened by Israeli bombing. Across Gaza, an estimated 50 million tonnes of rubble cover the landscape. When those returning arrive at their destination, many have nowhere to shelter because their homes have been destroyed and sleep in tents or in the street.
"The road was long and very difficult. I was very excited to return, but on the way I was very upset by the sights of the displaced families," Mr Al Khalidi said.
Seeing his home intact was a bittersweet moment. "When I returned, it was full of memories of Zain," he added. The bedroom he had shared with his brother was undamaged, along with clothes they both wore that were hanging in the wardrobe.
Mr Al Khalidi and his family were forcibly displaced five times in the past year, taking shelter in a tent and carrying with them a constant fear of Israeli bombardment, all the while grieving for Zain.
"We will fix the house and clean it up because it holds many memories for us," he said. "At the beginning of the war, we did not know anything about its fate, but after a long time we learnt it was safe, thank God."
When the current ceasefire took hold on January 19, it was an emotional moment for the family. Mr Al Khalidi began his walk home a few days later, wanting to clean up the house and prepare it for the arrival of his parents after a 15-month hiatus from the family home.
"My feelings during the ceasefire were very mixed, between joy and sadness, but we were very relieved when the massacres stopped," he said.
A feeling of belonging engulfed him the moment he stepped inside his home again. "All the tired feelings left me," he told The National.
Apart from some broken windows and dust covering every surface, Mr Al Khalidi said the apartment was in a better condition than many others in the neighbourhood where most were reduced to rubble.
"After I arrived home, I felt strange," he said. "I forgot all about life in the tent, as if I had been in my house for a long time and had become very accustomed to it, even after an absence of more than a year."
