Gaza City's Shijaiyah District Lies in Ruins Following Israeli Withdrawal

Palestinians returned to scenes of devastation in Gaza City's Shijaiyah district after Israeli troops withdrew, ending a two-week offensive. Civil defense workers reported on Thursday that they had discovered 60 bodies in the rubble so far. Families who had fled the assault came back to assess their homes or salvage belongings.

Nearly every building was reduced to rubble, with concrete and twisted rebar scattered everywhere. Some grey, gutted concrete frames still stood a few stories high. The constant buzzing of Israeli military drones filled the hot summer air as people navigated dirt paths on bicycles or horse-drawn carts, where streets had been bulldozed away.

Impact on Residents

Sharif Abu Shanab found his family's four-story building collapsed. "I can't enter it. I can't take anything out of it, not even a can of tuna. We have nothing, no food or drink," he said. Since fleeing the district, his family has been sleeping in the streets. "Where do we go and to whom? … We have no home or anything," he added in despair. "There's only one solution, hit us with a nuclear bomb and relieve us of this life."

The Israeli military has invaded Shijaiyah multiple times during the nine-month conflict against Hamas militants in Gaza. The latest assault began in late June, targeting militants who had regrouped in the district. This offensive forced around 80,000 people to flee Shijaiyah, mostly to nearby areas. It remains unclear how many stayed during the fighting.

Military Operations and Casualties

The Israeli military announced on Wednesday evening that its operations in Shijaiyah had concluded. They claimed to have killed dozens of militants and destroyed eight tunnels in the area, though these claims could not be independently verified.

Gaza's Civil Defense organization stated that during Israel's offensive, emergency crews were largely unable to respond to calls for help from residents trapped in destroyed buildings. After the Israeli withdrawal, crews entered and recovered 60 bodies, with more believed buried under the rubble. However, they lack heavy equipment to clear debris effectively.

Humanitarian Crisis

The United Nations estimated earlier this week that about 300,000 Palestinians remain in northern Gaza after much of the population left earlier in the war. Most of Gaza's 2.3 million people are now experiencing widespread hunger while crammed into squalid tent camps.

Israel launched the war in Gaza following Hamas' October 7 attack, where militants stormed into southern Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people—mostly civilians—and abducting about 250. Since then, Israeli ground offensives and bombardments have killed over 38,300 people in Gaza, according to the territory's Health Ministry. The ministry does not differentiate between combatants and civilians in its count.

The top United Nations court has ordered Israel to take steps to protect Palestinians as it examines genocide allegations against Israeli leaders. Israel denies these charges.

Gaza's Civil Defense continues its search for more bodies amid limited resources and equipment. The humanitarian situation remains dire as displaced families struggle with basic needs like food and shelter.