As violence subsides in Gaza, the Dahliz family returns to Rafah only to find their home reduced to rubble, confronting the painful reality of displacement and loss.
Homecoming to Ruins: The Dahliz Family's Return to Rafah
Homecoming to Ruins: The Dahliz Family's Return to Rafah
Amidst the rubble of Rafah, the Dahliz family confronts their lost home following a ceasefire in Gaza.
After the fighting concluded in Gaza on a recent Sunday, Islam Dahliz, accompanied by his father and brother, ventured back to the neighborhood they once called home. An echo of memories flooded their minds, but familiar sights were displaced by devastation—confusing landmarks and flattened buildings surrounded them.
The remaining structure of a nearby wedding hall rekindled recognition for Mr. Dahliz, revealing the tragic loss behind him—his father's house of over 50 years now buried beneath a heap of ruins.
“It took us a few minutes to accept that this pile of rubble was our home,” stated Mr. Dahliz, 34, involved with local humanitarian efforts. Stricken by the sheer scale of loss, the family found themselves speechless in a landscape that held their cherished memories but offered none of the comfort of familiarity.
His 74-year-old father, Abed Dahliz, struggled to comprehend what had transpired. “I was shocked when I saw my entire life—everything I worked for—flattened to the ground,” he murmured, his voice tinged with sorrow. A lifelong farmer, he lamented the obliteration of his hard-earned sanctuary, built with years of devotion and sacrifice.
This was not the hopeful homecoming the family envisioned during their prolonged displacement—shifting from one makeshift tent to another—each relocation shrouded in uncertainty. They held aspirations of returning to normalcy, yet standing among the ruins, that dream starkly confronted them, leaving them to grapple with the enormity of their loss and the daunting journey ahead.
