Politics
Gazans return to razed homes
As a fragile ceasefire holds, displaced Palestinian residents of Gaza City have returned to their homes only to find rubble, with many of them forced to camp out in makeshift shelters.
In the northwest of the city, empty streets are lined with piles of concrete that once were apartment buildings before the Israel-Hamas war, with some structures completely collapsed.
Hossam Majed discovered his home reduced to rubble. Amid the ruins, the 31-year-old salvaged a few belongings, including some furniture and — crucially given the shortages — a large water tank.
While waiting for the rest of his family to return, he has swept aside some dust and rubble, set up a makeshift shelter and will guard what remains from potential thieves.
“Even food is more expensive than in the south because it’s scarce. There’s no electricity, no water, no internet. I have to walk a kilometre and a half… just to fill two water containers,” he told AFP.
Umm Rami Lubbad left her home last month to seek safety in southern Gaza, in Khan Yunis, as Israel stepped up its offensive on Gaza City in a bid to root out Hamas, the force resisting illegal Israeli occupation.
She had hoped to return to her home as “it was the only remaining hope for a little stability”.
But upon their return, the mother, her young child and two teenage daughters were caught by surprise.
“My heart nearly stopped when I saw the house reduced to rubble,” she told AFP, adding “I was looking as far as my eyes could see — and saw nothing”.
Now, Lubbad and her children are effectively homeless.
“We sleep in the street regardless. I don’t have a tent,” she said, adding that neighbours took them in when artillery shelling made the outdoors too dangerous.
With her children she has gathered some wood, clothing and a gas tank, hoping to use the wood for cooking or to build makeshift toilets.
No home, no supplies
“Life is extremely hard. I don’t know how long we’ll endure,” she said.
She hopes tents will eventually be allowed into Gaza, which is under a strict Israeli siege.
Ahmad al-Abbasi, who had fled south during the bombings, returned to find that nothing of his five-storey building remained in Gaza City.
“We came back north hoping to find our homes and (rebuild our) lives. As you can see… Gaza has turned into a ghost town,” he said.
In front of the ruins he has attempted to set up a makeshift tent beside a Palestinian flag fluttering from a pole.
He has stacked some cinder blocks to anchor iron rods for holding up a sheet, which is meant to serve as a roof.
Though the shelter stands, the wind catches the fabric and the flag, making them flap loudly.
“We’re trying to salvage everything we can. We’ll try to fix even just one room or one tent to shelter ourselves, our children, and our families,” he told AFP.
Mustafa Mahram, another Palestinian who returned to Gaza City, also found his three-storey house reduced to rubble.
“Everything’s gone, turned to ashes… There’s no way to live here,” he lamented.
Mahram has set up a tent near the remains of his house and feels his family has been “thrown into the street”.
“There’s no water — no drinking water, not even salty water, no water at all,” he said.
“None of the essentials of life are available — no food, nothing to drink, nothing. And as you can see, there’s nothing left but rubble.”
Saudi Arabia is in discussions with the United States over a defence agreement that could be finalised during Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s expected visit to the White House next month, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.
A senior official from the Trump administration told the FT that there were “talks about signing something when the crown prince arrives, but the details are still being worked out.”
According to the report, the proposed deal would resemble the recent US-Qatar defence pact, under which Washington pledged to treat any armed attack on Qatar as a threat to the United States.
That agreement came shortly after Israel’s air strike on Doha last month, which targeted senior Hamas leaders.
The US State Department described defence cooperation with Saudi Arabia as a “strong bedrock of our regional strategy,” but declined to provide details about the possible agreement.
Neither the State Department, the White House, nor the Saudi government responded to Reuters’ request for comment on the FT report.
Last month, Saudi Arabia signed a mutual defence pact with Pakistan, deepening a decades-long security partnership between the two allies.
The pact, signed on September 17 by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Riyadh, declared that “any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both.”
The agreement aimed to strengthen defence cooperation and bolster joint deterrence capabilities against potential threats.
Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump also pledged to view any armed attack on Qatar as a threat to US security a stance formalised in a recent defence document allowing American forces to defend the Gulf nation if needed.
Qatar welcomed Trump’s order, describing it as a milestone in strengthening defence ties and bilateral cooperation, its foreign ministry said.
The executive order, which appears to significantly deepen the US commitment to Qatar, comes after Israel last month attempted to kill leaders of Hamas with an airstrike on Doha.
That strike, launched with little advance notice to the Trump administration, caused consternation in Washington, given the close US relationship with Qatar, which hosts the largest US military base in the region.
“The United States shall regard any armed attack on the territory, sovereignty, or critical infrastructure of the State of Qatar as a threat to the peace and security of the United States,” the order said.
“In the event of such an attack, the United States shall take all lawful and appropriate measures including diplomatic, economic and, if necessary, military — to defend the interests of the United States and of the State of Qatar and to restore peace and stability.”
The document said top US defence and intelligence officials will maintain contingency planning with Qatar to ensure a rapid response to any attacks.
- Crown Prince MBS to visit White House next month.
- Pact may resemble US–Qatar security agreement.
- State Department cites strong strategic cooperation.
Saudi Arabia is discussing a defence deal with the United States which it hopes to seal when Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visits the White House next month, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.
A senior Trump administration official told the Financial Times there were “discussions about signing something when the crown prince comes, but the details are in flux.”
The FT said the deal in discussion was similar to the recent US-Qatar pact that pledged to treat any armed attack on Qatar as a threat to the United States. The US deal with Qatar came after Israel last month attempted to kill leaders of Hamas with an air strike on Doha.
The US State Department told the FT that defence co-operation with the kingdom was a “strong bedrock of our regional strategy,” but declined to comment on details of the potential deal.
The US State Department, the White House and the Saudi government did not respond to a Reuters request for comment on the FT report.
Last month, Saudi Arabia signed a mutual defence pact with nuclear-armed Pakistan.
Riyadh and Islamabad signed the mutual defence pact on September 17, significantly strengthening a decades-old security partnership, a week after Israel’s strikes on Qatar upended the diplomatic calculus in the region.
The agreement states that “any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both,” a statement from the prime minister’s office and the state-run Saudi Press Agency had mentioned.
“This agreement … aims to develop aspects of defence cooperation between the two countries and strengthen joint deterrence against any aggression,” the statement said.
The deal was signed by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Riyadh, where Pakistan’s top official was accorded a warm welcome.
Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump pledged to treat any armed attack on Qatar as a threat to the United States’ own security, according to a document that says US forces could step in to defend the Middle Eastern nation.
Qatar welcomed Trump’s order, describing it as a milestone in strengthening defence ties and bilateral cooperation, its foreign ministry said.
The executive order, which appears to significantly deepen the US commitment to Qatar, comes after Israel last month attempted to kill leaders of Hamas with an airstrike on Doha.
That strike, launched with little advance notice to the Trump administration, caused consternation in Washington, given the close US relationship with Qatar, which hosts the largest US military base in the region.
“The United States shall regard any armed attack on the territory, sovereignty, or critical infrastructure of the State of Qatar as a threat to the peace and security of the United States,” the order said.
“In the event of such an attack, the United States shall take all lawful and appropriate measures — including diplomatic, economic and, if necessary, military — to defend the interests of the United States and of the State of Qatar and to restore peace and stability.”
The document said top US defence and intelligence officials will maintain contingency planning with Qatar to ensure a rapid response to any attacks.
Israel returned the bodies of 30 Palestinians to Gaza on Thursday, bringing the total number of bodies handed over to 120, according to the Hamas-run health ministry and Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis.
Under a ceasefire agreement mediated by US President Donald Trump, Israel is required to return the bodies of 15 Palestinians for every deceased Israeli handed back.
Late Wednesday, Hamas transferred two more bodies to Israel, stating that it had returned all the remains of deceased captives that it had access to.
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