Israel has destroyed over 1,000 buildings in the Zeitoun and Sabra neighbourhoods of Gaza City since August 6, leaving hundreds trapped under rubble. Once a thriving community with bustling markets and olive groves, Zeitoun is now unrecognisable after entire blocks have been flattened.
Resident Feryal Ahmed recounts the devastating night when her home collapsed, sending her and her children fleeing amidst the rubble. “I put on my prayer gown and started to call my children… but I couldn’t see them because of all the rubble and the dust.”
The scale of destruction is staggering, with many homes hit in Gaza City’s Zeitoun and Sabra neighbourhoods, which have been under severe attack for about a week. The displacement of families, silencing of neighbourhoods, and loss of history are just a few of the deeper wounds caused by the destruction.
Young Palestinians, like Mahdi Khaled, who grew up in the neighbourhood, say they feel an overwhelming longing to return home despite the fear of bombardment. “I wish I could wake up and be told to go back… even if my house has been bombed – or if everything is gone, I still want to go back.”
As the destruction continues, many are holding on to memories of a community that was once alive with sound and colour. For Palestinians, home is not just walls and a roof; it is memory, belonging, and determination to return.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/26/israel-bombs-once-bustling-gaza-city-neighbourhood-zeitoun-to-rubble