Years under the rubble... and Gaza will remain here

If Gaza is destined to rise from under the rubble and rubble, which the United Nations estimated at more than 40 million tons, then the true story cannot be described as the next day for Gaza after the aggression, but rather as the long years that will take to rebuild the sector, in which more than half of the homes and facilities were destroyed, and which needs to be repaired. About 15 years, with a reconstruction cost that may exceed $40 billion.

The United Nations assessment issued yesterday highlights the enormous challenge that awaits the citizens of the Gaza Strip, which is to rebuild and restore the infrastructure and facilities that were destroyed by the devastating Israeli attack over a period of ten months. It also indicates a decline in health, education, and wealth in the Gaza Strip to the levels of 1980, meaning that it erases 44 years of development, which took place slowly due to the siege, wars and calamities.

The Israeli bombing has changed the face, landmarks, and topography of the Gaza Strip, most notably the Grand Omari Mosque, the Sayyid Hashem Mosque in the Daraj neighborhood, the Church of St. Porphyrius, the Samra Bath in the Zaytoun neighborhood, the Pasha Palace in Daraj, the Deir al-Balah cemetery, the Byzantine church in Jabalia, the ancient Saqqa House in Shuja’iyya, the Camellia School in Gaza, and the Maqam. Al-Khader in Deir al-Balah, and other archaeological and historical shrines, which are difficult to restore and return to their previous condition, in addition to the planned demolition campaign against schools, hospitals, and displacement sites for refugees, as clearing these facilities and gatherings requires a long time due to the seriousness of the situation, and the possibility of threats resulting from Remnants of shells and missiles that reached deep into the ground.

Gaza needs many years for reconstruction and restoration, but some of its features will not return to what they were, and if a number of citizens who lived through this aggression are destined to survive twenty years ahead, perhaps they will be able to sit in front of their homes to recall what happened and to tell their children and grandchildren that The terrain, landmarks and archaeological sites of Gaza were here, and Gaza will remain here as a witness to the evocation of memories, despite a possible new guise, but the historical evidence will not disappear and will remain engraved in the conscience of grandparents and fathers to bequeath it to their children and grandchildren, who will accept the soil of Gaza towards a dignified life, despite the pain and years of life. The long one that will bear witness to the removal of rubble and rubble.

Gaza will remain here to regain its simplicity, kindness, and the stories of its narrow lanes, and its sea, the only outlet, will return to remain the most famous coastal city in Palestine, despite the clouds and fog of aggression, so that its people will return after the siege and destruction to create what Gaza is famous for so that the world can boast of its beauty and picturesque charm.