'Live in a tent or leave': Gaza's battered families say Israel blocking rebuilding equipment

Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza

The moment the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel took effect more than two weeks ago, displaced families in Gaza rushed back to their destroyed homes.

Since then, The National has spoken to dozens of families across the besieged enclave. Despite the devastation, none expressed a desire to leave. Instead, they are determined to rebuild. Their main obstacle, however, is man-made: Israel’s restriction on the entry of heavy machinery needed to clear debris, along with essential building materials.

The situation grew even more complex this week when US President Donald Trump suggested that his country could take over Gaza, depopulate it, and rebuild without specifying who would ultimately inhabit the Palestinian territory.

Gazans swiftly rejected the idea, insisting on their right to remain. All they need, they said, are the necessary tools to rebuild.

“The people of Gaza are being pressured, but more than that, they are being blackmailed: live in a tent or leave,” a Palestinian politician told The National on Thursday. “They are being denied the ability to rebuild their homes as a means of forcing them to leave. This is the clearest proof of ethnic cleansing.”

Gaza is currently in the first phase of a three-phase ceasefire that began on January 19. The current stage of the fragile cessation of hostilities between Hamas and Israel involves the release of 33 hostages from Gaza into Israel in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian detainees being freed from Israeli jails.

During the second phase, the release of the remaining hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the strip will be the focus. The third phase will cover the reconstruction of Gaza, where, as of December, two-thirds of the prewar structures had been damaged or flattened, according to UN satellite data. That amounts to about 69 per cent of the buildings in Gaza. At least 90 per cent of the population has been displaced.

Days after the ceasefire began, the Rafah border crossing with Egypt in the south opened for the first time since its closure last May, allowing aid to enter and patients to leave for medical treatment abroad. However, it has not been opened for those wanting to return.

“According to the terms of the agreement, once the ceasefire was in place, aid was supposed to flow in – including tents, caravans, and all essential materials to support humanitarian operations. However, the Israeli occupation has obstructed this process,” said Ismael Thawabta, director of the government media office in Gaza. “A few days ago, four bulldozers were allowed in from Egypt, but that is nowhere near enough.”

He described the situation as “extremely difficult,” adding that Gaza is trying “to restore life to what it once was, but we continue to face obstacles, including border closures and the ban on entering heavy machinery and construction materials needed to salvage what remains”.

Breaking point

The delayed entry of vital equipment has left thousands of displaced families exposed to harsh weather. The situation reached breaking point this week as powerful storms tore through the region, sweeping away tents and worsening already inhumane living conditions.

Among those affected by the storm is Mahmoud Ghaban, 45, a resident of Beit Lahia, who returned home after the ceasefire only to find his house destroyed. “We had no choice but to set up a tent on a neighbour’s farmland because our home was reduced to rubble,” he told The National.

Inside the small tent, 23 family members shared the cramped space.

“My family of 10, my parents, my two brothers, and their families all lived together under one fragile shelter. The situation was already unbearable, but the storm made it even worse. The flooding and strong winds ripped our tent apart, leaving us out in the open.”

Mohammed Abu Shurkh, 37, returned from southern Gaza to find his five-story home in the Safatawi neighbourhood in northern Gaza destroyed. Worse, six of his family members who had stayed behind remained buried under the rubble.

“As soon as I arrived, I set up a tent next to my destroyed home for two reasons: first, because this is my home, my land, my place; and second, so I could stay close to the bodies of my siblings and their children who remain trapped under the ruins,” Mr Abu Shurkh said.

In his stunning comments earlier this week, Mr Trump suggested that the more than two million Palestinians in Gaza should be relocated to countries such as Jordan and Egypt and that the US could assume control of the strip. He described the coastal enclave as having the potential to become the “Riviera of the Middle East” and said he was prepared to send troops there. Legal experts said the idea breaches several international laws.

On Thursday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered the army to prepare a plan to allow the “voluntary departure” of residents from the Gaza Strip, Israeli media reported.

However, for many residents of Gaza, leaving the enclave is just a US-Israeli “fantasy” that won’t materialise.

“The truce has lasted over 15 days, yet there is no sign of rebuilding, no rubble removal, and no efforts to provide shelter. The world must act,” said Mr Abu Shurkh, a father of six.