Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians have been able to return to northern Gaza thanks to the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, but they are met with destruction rather than a sense of homecoming. Once-vibrant streets are now completely destroyed by conflict and covered in debris. Returning citizens in Khan Younis discovered their houses in ruins, a sobering reminder of the war’s cost.

The extent of the devastation is astounding. Around 170,000 buildings in Gaza had been damaged or destroyed by the end of 2024, displacing 1.7 million people and rendering over 70,000 homes uninhabitable. Reconstruction activities could produce at least 30 million metric tonnes of greenhouse gases, which is equal to New Zealand’s yearly CO2 emissions, making the environmental impact equally severe.

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