A photograph and youngsters’s toy.
These were the one two things Hamdi Mustafa Shoshaa managed to retrieve from his home in northern Gaza after he returned for the primary time because the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war.
Hamdi, a 38-year-old artist from Gaza City, is one in every of the tons of of 1000’s of Palestinians who’ve returned to their native homeland hoping to rebuild their lives after months of fighting.
It follows the ceasefire deal that was announced by former US President Joe Biden in January, just five days before he left office.
However the deal could collapse this weekend after Hamas said it could stop releasing Israeli hostages, claiming Israel was violating the conditions.
Based on the United Nations, greater than 462,000 people have crossed from the south to the north within the last three weeks.
In exclusive footage given to Metro, Hamdi has revealed what it has been like returning back to his home for the primary time because the war began.
Standing on a pile of rubble which was his home, he shows a sweet photograph of himself and his wife, Shorouq, on their wedding day.
Hamdi is seen in a wise navy suit, light blue shirt, blue tie and blue pocket square, while Shorouq is wearing a white gown and veil, her hand delicately placed on her recent husband’s chest.
Joining Hamdi in his return to Gaza were his brothers-in-law, Omar Ahmed Sourani, 27, and Mohamed Ahmed Sourani, 21.
He said the journey, which took him three hours by foot, felt like a ‘religious pilgrimage.’
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But despite his excitement in returning home, what awaited him within the Sudanese district north of Gaza City was way beyond anything he could have ever imagined.
He told Metro: ‘I knew that my house was destroyed, however the scene was beyond my ability to assume, and at that moment feelings that I had never encountered before were mixed together.
‘Every part had grow to be like a torn garment, and nothing remained for me and my neighbours except scattered memories here and there.
‘Despite how small and easy, I treated them as a precious treasure that bears witness to my life and the lifetime of my small family.
‘The [wedding] picture brings me [closer] along with my wife, Shorouq.
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‘I embraced my memories at that moment, however the questions and the nice burden grew in my mind about what form our life would take 1739363628.’
Hamdi and his family were displaced within the early months of the war. Similarly to 1000’s of other Gazans, they’ve since moved to the southern city of Khan Younis, a largely-destroyed metropolis near the border with Egypt.
For his return to Gaza, he left his wife Shorouq, 30, and their three daughters Ghada, six, Bana, five, and Salma, two, behind to maintain them secure.
Driven by what he described as ‘indescribable longing,’ he marched toward Gaza City shortly after the ceasefire announcement was made on January 15.
Recalling the journey, the father-of-three said everyone – ‘young and old, men and women’ – chanted ‘Come on, walk with us to Palestine’ and ‘My country, Gaza, O Gaza, land of glory and land of pride.’
What is occurring with the ceasefire in Gaza?
Israel’s leader Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Tuesday the ceasefire in Gaza would end if Hamas didn’t release hostages by midday on Saturday.
Following the Israeli PM’s ultimatum – empowered by his ally Donald Trump, the Palestinian militant group issued a press release renewing its commitment to the deal and accusing Israel of jeopardizing it.
The Israeli announcement got here after Netanyahu met with several key ministers, including defence, foreign affairs and national security, who he said gave the ultimatum their full support.
After nearly 16 months of war, Hamas has step by step been releasing hostages because the first phase of a ceasefire began on January 19.
But on Monday it said it could not free any more until further notice after claiming Israel was violating the deal.
‘If Hamas doesn’t return our hostages by Saturday noon – the ceasefire will end and the military will return to intense fighting until Hamas is finally defeated,’ Netanyahu said.
It was not immediately clear if he meant Hamas should release all hostages held in Gaza or simply the three who had been expected to be released on Saturday under the ceasefire.
‘The majestic moment when my body was free of all types of fatigue and my soul rejoiced with joy was when my feet stepped into the neighbourhood that I had carried in my memory for 15 months of war,’ he said.
After collecting the toy and wedding photograph, Hamdi has since returned to Khan Younis to reunite along with his wife and youngsters and remains to be determining his next steps.
During his time within the southern city, he has delivered art workshops for children, funded by Christian Aid charity and run by the Palestinian Culture and Free Thought Association, to provide them even a transient distraction from the constant missile strikes.
Before the war broke out, he worked in manufacturing.
Hamdi, who lost all his livelihood throughout the war, added: ‘I have no idea if there’s [the possibility] to start out over with my project Tezzkar, which is a project specialised in manufacturing souvenirs and heritage items in a city where everyone’s priority is to go looking for a living.
‘Nonetheless, I pin some hopes on marketing my creative works through cyberspace to the surface world and to supporters and people interested by Palestinian affairs who flock to the Gaza Strip.
‘I have no idea if that can be enough to take off my skilled life again.’
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