By Mehmet Nuri Ucar and Ramzi Mahmud
GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - After largely withdrawing from parts of Gaza City and North Gaza governorate, the Israeli military has left behind widespread destruction.
Documenting the extent of the devastation affecting residential areas, a team from Anadolu captured harrowing scenes.
Hundreds of homes have been demolished, with those left standing bearing significant damage, turning the areas into ghost towns.
In regions where many buildings lie in ruins and numerous residences suffer severe damage, collapsed skyscrapers and buildings have formed massive piles of rubble.
The towering heaps of debris from the demolished skyscrapers around the Shati Refugee Camp, housing government institutions, in the Al-Makusi area, showcase the scale of the attacks.
It was also documented that the mosques in the region were also demolished, alongside a health center operated by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees or UNRWA at the same location.
In areas where streets have been excavated with bulldozers, the complete destruction of infrastructure is evident, with sewage water flowing through the streets, and accumulated debris and garbage posing health and environmental hazards.
- Ghost city
Residents of Al-Makusi describe the region as a "ghost city" following the withdrawal of the Israeli army.
Once a vibrant hub of life, commerce, and entertainment, the "General Security" zone now lies in ruins.
Hebrew expressions and words written by Israeli soldiers are observed on walls, bearing witness to the brutality of the attacks.
As the region's inhabitants return home following the Israeli withdrawal, their attempts to find their homes are greeted with shock.
The residents believe that it will take many years to clear the rubble of destroyed homes, commercial and economic institutions, schools, and places of worship and rebuild them.
- Resembling Stone Age
Sofyan al-Firani, a Palestinian resident of the El-Muhaberat area in northern Gaza, referred to the condition of his neighborhood as a "return to the Stone Age" as he surveyed his destroyed home.
Speaking to Anadolu, al-Firani said: "Everything around us has been destroyed. The situation in this area resembles the Stone Age. Our six-apartment home has been leveled. Some of my relatives were martyred in the attacks. My children were also injured."
Expressing his loss of hope for any signs of life in Gaza after the attacks, al-Firani highlighted the scale of the destruction, saying: "The scene speaks for itself. There is no need to describe it in words. Perhaps we will not see the days when Gaza is rebuilt."
Referring to the complete destruction of infrastructure in the Gaza Strip by Israel, including the accumulation of sewage water, debris, and garbage on the streets, al-Firani questioned: "My own home, the houses of my neighbors, and entire neighborhoods where civilians lived all have been destroyed. Where are the military targets that the (Israeli) army destroyed in this area?"
- Unimaginable destruction
Yusuf al-Omari, another resident, described the extent of the destruction caused by Israel in the al-Makusi area as unimaginable.
After the Israeli army withdrew, al-Omari went to check on his home, noting: "We were overwhelmed by an indescribable feeling when we encountered this unprecedented level of destruction. We witnessed scenes beyond imagination."
"Israeli soldiers tried to destroy everything, regardless of human, soil, or stone," al-Omari stressed and said the collapse of infrastructure and the destruction of water, electricity, and sanitation networks indicate that the region's residents will face significant hardships after the attacks.
Israel launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, killing at least 27,131 Palestinians and injuring 66,287. Nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.
The Israeli offensive has left 85% of Gaza’s population internally displaced 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.
* Writing by Seda Sevencan in Istanbul.