Israeli army's withdrawal from Khan Younis reveals extent of devastation in city

By Mohamed Majed and Zeynep Tufekci Gulay

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - Israel left behind massive destruction as it withdrew from Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday, with streets and roads unrecognizable.

The withdrawal of the Israeli army revealed the extent of the devastation in the city.

Following the army’s departure, displaced Palestinians began returning to the areas where their homes were located, but they struggled to recognize their neighborhoods.

Weeks of Israeli bombardment had turned buildings in the city into rubble and ash, while roads were in disarray due to both Israeli airstrikes and damage caused by bulldozers.

Muhammad Abu Diyab, 31, from Khan Younis said he returned to his home after the Israeli army withdrew and found it completely destroyed.

"Not just my family's home, but everything in the city is devastated. The streets and roads are impassable due to the destruction left behind by Israel," said Diyab.

Fifty-four-year-old Recep Abu Aklin, who had to migrate to the southern Gaza city of Rafah, said he came to Khan Younis after the army’s withdrawal and was shocked by the destruction he encountered.

"I struggled to even find the location of my home in the area where I resided in Khan Younis," he said.

"I witnessed an indescribable destruction that I have never seen in my life here. There's no water and no infrastructure due to the attacks, but we will resist, we will live in tents on top of the rubble," Aklin added.

The Israeli army announced on Sunday that it had withdrawn from Khan Younis.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack in early last October by the Palestinian group Hamas killed around 1,200 people.

Nearly 33,200 Palestinians have since been killed and almost 75,900 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which recently asked it to do more to prevent famine in Gaza.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz