Photos of the week: Gazans search for normalcy among the ruins

What does life look like in Gaza after both the Israeli army and the media leave?

Photos and Text: Basel Yazouri/Activestills.org

People in Gaza are lost and uncertain. They cannot fathom what happened to them, and they cannot predict what might happen in the few next days. People whose houses were destroyed are living in schools. Those whose houses are still standing or damaged came back to live in them, but don’t know how long they can stay. Many even went back to living in schools out of fear that the ceasefire will end.

In Beit Hanoun, people are doing nothing – just waiting for news. They haven’t cleaned their houses or done the normal tasks of daily life. They just returned to their houses because living in the schools is too difficult.

Palestinian man look toward the ruins of Beit Hanoun, North Gaza Strip, August 11, 2014.  According to OCHA, during the current attack, 16,800 Homes in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed or severely damaged and 370,000 displaced People hosted at UNRWA, government shelters and with host families. (Basel Yazouri/Activestills.org)
A Palestinian man looks at the ruins of Beit Hanoun, North Gaza Strip, August 11, 2014. According to OCHA, 16,800 homes in the Gaza Strip were destroyed or severely damaged,while 370,000 displaced people went to live in UNRWA government shelters or with other families. (Basel Yazouri/Activestills.org)

 

Palestinian woman walks between the ruins of Beit Hanoun, North Gaza Strip, August 12, 2014.  (Basel Yazouri/Activestills.org)
A Palestinian woman walks between the ruins of Beit Hanoun, North Gaza Strip, August 12, 2014. (Basel Yazouri/Activestills.org)

 

Palestinian retrieves what belongings he can carry from their homes in Beit Hanoun, North Gaza Strip, August 12, 2014.  (Basel Yazouri/Activestills.org)
Palestinians retrieve whatever belongings they can carry from their homes in Beit Hanoun, North Gaza Strip, August 12, 2014. (Basel Yazouri/Activestills.org)

 

Destruction in Beit Hanoun following bombardment by Israeli forces, North Gaza Strip, August 11, 2014.  (Basel Yazouri/Activestills.org)
Destruction in Beit Hanoun following bombardment by the Israeli military, North Gaza Strip, August 11, 2014. (Basel Yazouri/Activestills.org)

 

Destruction in Beit Hanoun following bombardment by Israeli forces, North Gaza Strip, August 11, 2014.  (Basel Yazouri/Activestills.org)
Destruction in Beit Hanoun following bombardment by Israeli forces, North Gaza Strip, August 11, 2014. (Basel Yazouri/Activestills.org)

 

Gazans who evacuated their houses live in makeshift tents at Al-Shifa Hospital, August 9, 2014.  (Basel Yazouri/Activestills.org)
Gazans who evacuated their houses live in makeshift tents at Al-Shifa Hospital, August 9, 2014. (Basel Yazouri/Activestills.org)

 

Palestinians shop for food in Gaza City during a ceasefire, August 6, 2014.  (Basel Yazouri/Activestills.org)
Palestinians shop for food in Gaza City during a ceasefire, August 6, 2014. (Basel Yazouri/Activestills.org)

 

Gazans who evacuated their houses to find emergency shelter try to go on with the activities of daily life, Al-Shifa Hospital, August 9, 2014.  (Basel Yazouri/Activestills.org)
Gazans who evacuated their houses to find emergency shelter try to go on with the activities of daily life, Al-Shifa Hospital, August 9, 2014. (Basel Yazouri/Activestills.org)

 

Al-Shifa Hospital, August 9, 2014. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health (as to August 10), 9,986 Palestinians, including 3,009 children and 359 elderly, have been injured. Death toll in Gaza reached 1,965 Palestinians, including 1,417 civilians, of whom 458 are children and 238 are women. (Basel Yazouri/Activestills.org)
Al-Shifa Hospital, August 9, 2014. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health (as of August 10), 9,986 Palestinians, including 3,009 children and 359 elderly, have been injured. The death toll in Gaza has reached 1,965 Palestinians, including 1,417 civilians, of whom 458 are children and 238 are women. (Basel Yazouri/Activestills.org)

 

Gazans walk on streets in darkness after the Israeli bombing of the main electricity plant caused a continuous 7-day power cut throughout the Gaza Strip, August 9, 2014. (Basel Yazouri/Activestills.org)
Gazans walk on streets in darkness after the Israeli bombing of the main electricity plant caused a continuous 7-day power cut throughout the Gaza Strip, August 9, 2014. (Basel Yazouri/Activestills.org)

Related:
Gaza dispatch: When tanks shell refugee camps
PHOTOS: Gaza’s half-million internally displaced
Refugees once again: Gazans who lost their home wonder what’s next

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