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Palestinians trek across rubble to return to their homes as Gaza ceasefire takes hold

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Palestinians trek across rubble to return to their homes as Gaza ceasefire takes hold
News

News

Palestinians trek across rubble to return to their homes as Gaza ceasefire takes hold

2025-01-20 09:56 Last Updated At:10:01

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Even before the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas was fully in place on Sunday, Palestinians in the war-battered Gaza Strip began to return to the remains of the homes they had evacuated during the 15-month war.

Majida Abu Jarad made quick work of packing the contents of her family’s temporary lodging in the sprawling tent city of Muwasi, just north of the strip’s southern border with Egypt.

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Displaced Palestinians, some armed, return to Rafah, as a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas went into effect, in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mariam Dagga)

Displaced Palestinians, some armed, return to Rafah, as a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas went into effect, in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mariam Dagga)

Displaced Palestinians return to Rafah, as a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas went into effect, in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mariam Dagga)

Displaced Palestinians return to Rafah, as a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas went into effect, in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mariam Dagga)

Displaced Palestinians flash V-sign as they return to Rafah, while a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas went into effect, in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mariam Dagga)

Displaced Palestinians flash V-sign as they return to Rafah, while a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas went into effect, in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mariam Dagga)

Displaced Palestinians return to Rafah, as a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas went into effect, in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mariam Dagga)

Displaced Palestinians return to Rafah, as a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas went into effect, in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mariam Dagga)

Displaced Palestinians, some armed, return to Rafah, as a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas went into effect, in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mariam Dagga)

Displaced Palestinians, some armed, return to Rafah, as a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas went into effect, in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mariam Dagga)

Displaced Palestinians leave parts of Khan Younis as they go back to their homes in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Displaced Palestinians leave parts of Khan Younis as they go back to their homes in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Displaced Palestinians leave parts of Khan Younis as they go back to their homes in Rafah, following a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Displaced Palestinians leave parts of Khan Younis as they go back to their homes in Rafah, following a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Displaced Palestinians leave parts of Khan Younis as they go back to their homes in Rafah, following a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, in Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Displaced Palestinians leave parts of Khan Younis as they go back to their homes in Rafah, following a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, in Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Displaced Palestinians leave parts of Khan Younis as they go back to their homes in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Displaced Palestinians leave parts of Khan Younis as they go back to their homes in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Displaced Palestinians leave parts of Khan Younis as they go back to their homes in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Displaced Palestinians leave parts of Khan Younis as they go back to their homes in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Displaced Palestinians leave parts of Khan Younis as they go back to their homes in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Displaced Palestinians leave parts of Khan Younis as they go back to their homes in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

At the start of the war, they were forced to flee their house in Gaza’s northern town of Beit Hanoun, where they used to gather around the kitchen table or on the roof on summer evenings amid the scent of roses and jasmine.

The house from those fond memories is gone, and for the past year, Abu Jarad, her husband and their six daughters have trekked the length of the Gaza Strip, following one evacuation order after another by the Israeli military.

Seven times they fled, she said, and each time, their lives became more unrecognizable to them as they crowded with strangers to sleep in a school classroom, searching for water in a vast tent camp or sleeping on the street.

Now the family is preparing to begin the trek home — or to whatever remains of it — and to reunite with relatives who remained in the north.

“As soon as they said that the truce would start on Sunday, we started packing our bags and deciding what we would take, not caring that we would still be living in tents,” Abu Jarad said.

The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250 people. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead.

The Israeli military bombardment that followed the attack has flattened large swaths of Gaza and displaced 1.9 million of its 2.3 million residents.

Over 46,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which says women and children make up more than half the fatalities but does not distinguish between civilians and fighters. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.

Even before the ceasefire officially took effect — and as tank shelling continued overnight and into the morning — many Palestinians began trekking through the wreckage to reach their homes, some on foot and others hauling their belongings on donkey carts.

“They’re returning to retrieve their loved ones under the rubble,” said Mohamed Mahdi, a displaced Palestinian and father of two. He was forced to leave his three-story home in Gaza City’s southeastern Zaytoun neighborhood a few months ago.

Mahdi managed to reach his home Sunday morning, walking amid the rubble from western Gaza. On the road he said he saw the Hamas-run police force being deployed to the streets in Gaza City, helping people returning to their homes.

Despite the vast scale of the destruction and uncertain prospects for rebuilding, “people were celebrating," he said. "They started clearing the streets and removing the rubble of their homes. It’s a moment they’ve waited for for 15 months.”

Um Saber, a 48-year-old widow and mother of six, returned to her hometown of Beit Lahiya. She asked to be identified only by her honorific, meaning “mother of Saber,” out of safety concerns.

Speaking by phone, she said her family had found bodies in the street as they trekked home, some of which appeared to have been lying in the open for weeks.

When they reached Beit Lahiya, they found their home and much of the surrounding area reduced to rubble, she said. Some families immediately began digging through the debris in search of missing loved ones. Others began trying to clear areas where they could set up tents.

Um Saber said she also found the area's Kamal Adwan Hospital “completely destroyed.”

“It’s no longer a hospital at all,” she said. "They destroyed everything.”

The hospital has been hit multiple times by Israeli forces waging an offensive in largely isolated northern Gaza against Hamas fighters it says have regrouped.

The military has claimed that Hamas militants operate inside Kamal Adwan, which hospital officials have denied.

In Gaza’s southern city of Rafah, residents returned to find massive destruction across the city that was once a hub for displaced families fleeing Israel’s bombardment elsewhere. Some found human remains amid the rubble of houses and the streets.

“It’s an indescribable scene. It’s like you see in a Hollywood horror movie,” said Mohamed Abu Taha, a Rafah resident, speaking to The Associated Press as he and his brother were inspecting his family home. “Flattened houses, human remains, skulls and other body parts, in the street and in the rubble.”

He shared footage of piles of rubble that he said had been his family’s house. “I want to know how they destroyed our home.”

The families' return to their homes comes amid looming uncertainty about whether the ceasefire deal will bring more than a temporary halt to the fighting, who will govern the enclave and how it will be rebuilt.

Not all families will be able to return home immediately. Under the terms of the deal, returning displaced people will only be able to cross the Netzarim corridor from south to north beginning seven days into the ceasefire.

At that point, the agreement says civilians would be allowed to cross into the north on foot without being searched, while a private company to be agreed upon by Israel and the mediators would search vehicles.

“We hope that the ceasefire will continue (and be) permanent, so that we can return to our homes and our children can return to their schools,” Rami Nofal, a displaced man from Gaza City, said from his shelter in the central city of Deir al-Balah.

Those who do return may face a long wait to rebuild their houses.

The United Nations has said that reconstruction could take more than 350 years if Gaza remains under an Israeli blockade. Using satellite data, the United Nations estimated last month that 69% of the structures in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, including more than 245,000 homes. With over 100 trucks working full time, it would take more than 15 years just to clear the rubble away.

But for many families, the immediate relief overrode fears about the future.

“We will remain in a tent, but the difference is that the bleeding will stop, the fear will stop, and we will sleep reassured,” Abu Jarad said.

——

Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writer Abby Sewell in Beirut contributed to this report.

Displaced Palestinians, some armed, return to Rafah, as a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas went into effect, in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mariam Dagga)

Displaced Palestinians, some armed, return to Rafah, as a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas went into effect, in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mariam Dagga)

Displaced Palestinians return to Rafah, as a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas went into effect, in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mariam Dagga)

Displaced Palestinians return to Rafah, as a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas went into effect, in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mariam Dagga)

Displaced Palestinians flash V-sign as they return to Rafah, while a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas went into effect, in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mariam Dagga)

Displaced Palestinians flash V-sign as they return to Rafah, while a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas went into effect, in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mariam Dagga)

Displaced Palestinians return to Rafah, as a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas went into effect, in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mariam Dagga)

Displaced Palestinians return to Rafah, as a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas went into effect, in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mariam Dagga)

Displaced Palestinians, some armed, return to Rafah, as a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas went into effect, in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mariam Dagga)

Displaced Palestinians, some armed, return to Rafah, as a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas went into effect, in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mariam Dagga)

Displaced Palestinians leave parts of Khan Younis as they go back to their homes in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Displaced Palestinians leave parts of Khan Younis as they go back to their homes in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Displaced Palestinians leave parts of Khan Younis as they go back to their homes in Rafah, following a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Displaced Palestinians leave parts of Khan Younis as they go back to their homes in Rafah, following a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Displaced Palestinians leave parts of Khan Younis as they go back to their homes in Rafah, following a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, in Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Displaced Palestinians leave parts of Khan Younis as they go back to their homes in Rafah, following a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, in Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Displaced Palestinians leave parts of Khan Younis as they go back to their homes in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Displaced Palestinians leave parts of Khan Younis as they go back to their homes in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Displaced Palestinians leave parts of Khan Younis as they go back to their homes in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Displaced Palestinians leave parts of Khan Younis as they go back to their homes in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Displaced Palestinians leave parts of Khan Younis as they go back to their homes in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Displaced Palestinians leave parts of Khan Younis as they go back to their homes in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Straws might seem insignificant, inspiring jokes about the plastic vs. paper debate, but the plastic straw has come to symbolize a global pollution crisis over the past decade.

On Monday, President Donald Trump waded into the issue when he signed an executive order to reverse a federal push away from plastic straws, declaring that paper straws “don’t work” and don’t last very long. Trump said he thinks “it’s OK” to continue using plastic straws, although they've have been blamed for polluting oceans and harming marine life.

In 2015, video of a marine biologist pulling a plastic straw out of a turtle’s nose sparked outrage worldwide and countries and cities started banning them, starting with the Pacific Island nation Vanuatu and Seattle in 2018.

Here’s what to know about the larger fight over single-use plastics in the United States:

More than 390 million plastic straws are used every day in the United States, most for 30 minutes or less, according to advocacy group Turtle Island Restoration Network.

Plastic straws are usually thrown away after one use, going on to litter beaches and waterways and potentially killing marine animals that mistake them for food.

The straws are not recyclable because they are so small. They take at least 200 years to decompose, the network said.

They break down into incredibly tiny bits of plastic smaller than a fraction of a grain of rice. These microplastics have been found in a wide range of body tissues. Though research is still limited overall, there are growing concerns that microplastics in the body could potentially be linked to heart disease, Alzheimer’s and dementia, and other problems.

Trump's executive order claims that paper straws use chemicals that may carry risks to human health are more expensive to produce than plastic straws. Researchers from the University of Antwerp found forever chemicals known as PFAS to be present in paper, bamboo, glass and plastic straws, but not stainless steel ones, according to a 2023 study.

The advocacy group Beyond Plastics said that while plastics are often cheaper than paper products, the cheapest option is to skip the straw.

Judith Enck, a former Environmental Protection Agency regional administrator who now heads up Beyond Plastics, said she hopes that people react to the executive order by committing to using fewer plastic straws and that local and state governments do, too.

“It’s easy to just kind of almost poke fun of this, ignore it,” she said Tuesday. “But this is a moment that we as individuals and state and local policymakers can make a statement that they disagree with this executive order and are committed to using less plastic straws. It’s not that hard to do.”

Several states and cities have banned plastic straws and some restaurants no longer automatically give them to customers.

President Joe Biden administration’s had committed to phasing out federal purchases of single-use plastics, including straws, from food service operations, events and packaging by 2027, and from all federal operations by 2035.

The move was a way for the federal government to formally acknowledge the severity of the plastic pollution crisis and the scale of the response required to effectively confront it.

Erin Simon, an expert on plastics and packaging at the World Wildlife Fund, said at the time that it sent a message around the world: If we can make change happen at scale, so can you.

The declaration came in July, just a few months before negotiators met in South Korea to try to finish crafting a treaty to address the global crisis of plastic pollution. Negotiators didn’t reach an agreement late last year, but talks resume this year.

Under the Biden administration, the United States at first adopted a position viewed as favoring industry, stating that countries should largely develop their own plans instead of abiding by global rules. China, the United States and Germany are the biggest players in the global plastics trade.

The United States changed its position heading into South Korea. The delegation said it would support having an article in the treaty that addresses supply, or plastic production. More than 100 countries want an ambitious treaty that limits plastic production while tackling cleanup and recycling.

U.S. manufacturers have asked Trump to remain at the negotiating table but revert to the old position that focused on redesigning plastic products, recycling and reuse.

The environment is littered with single-use plastic food and beverage containers — water bottles, takeout containers, coffee lids, straws and shopping bags.

Every year, the world produces more than 400 million tons of new plastic. About 40% of all plastics are used in packaging, according to the United Nations.

In 2023, Ocean Conservancy volunteers collected more than 61,000 plastic straws and stirrers polluting beaches and waterways in the United States. There were even more cigarette butts, plastic bottles, bottle caps and food wrappers, the nonprofit said.

Most plastic is made from fossil fuels. Negotiators at the United Nations climate talks known as COP28 agreed in 2023 the world must transition away from planet-warming fossil fuels and triple the use of renewable energy.

As pressure to reduce fossil fuels has increased globally, oil and gas companies have been looking more to the plastics side of their business as a market that could grow. Trump strongly supports and gets support from the oil and gas industry.

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Plastic straws, left, sit next to paper straws on display for sale in Cincinnati on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Plastic straws, left, sit next to paper straws on display for sale in Cincinnati on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

A plastic straw is displayed in a glass of milk, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

A plastic straw is displayed in a glass of milk, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

A box of plastic straws is displayed, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

A box of plastic straws is displayed, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Plastic straws are displayed in a glass, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Plastic straws are displayed in a glass, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

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