Gazan girl searches in vain for memories beneath the rubble of her home
Via Anadolu Agency
Gaza (Quds News Network) – Rimas Afana, a young Palestinian girl, wanders slowly amidst the debris of her home, destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, searching for memories amidst the piles of rubble. She cautiously lifts stones, hoping to find the small doll her father gifted her last year on her 12th birthday.
Rimas looks forward to a new gift from her father as she turns 13, but the Israeli war on Gaza and the shelling of her home have shattered the young girl’s dream. Amidst the remnants of her home, she recalls beautiful memories shared with her family and searches for what remains to serve as a reminder after its destruction.
While exploring the rubble, Rimas finds a dress and a doll in what used to be her room, and with a smile, she decides to keep them. In this house, entirely crushed by Israel, only torn dolls and clothes covered in dust remain; everything else has vanished completely.
Documenting the destruction
Rimas is not only searching for memories but also aims to document what Israel did to her home during the war, using her mobile phone. The child holds the phone and captures the destruction left by Israel in this house and the neighboring ones, intending to keep these records for future generations.
Joy unfulfilled
After documenting the devastation, Rimas sadly states to Anadolu Agency that she did not feel happiness as she entered the age of 13, as children around the world usually do, due to the war and Israel’s bombing of her family’s home. She mentions how she was looking forward to celebrating her birthday at home with her family, but Israel destroyed it, leaving only memories behind.
Rimas never imagined finding her home destroyed, becoming displaced and homeless, lacking medicine, water, and food. The little girl hopes for an end to the war and the bloodshed in Gaza, given the tragic circumstances.
Entire residential square destruction
Close to Rimas, her uncle stands amidst the rubble, observing the houses destroyed by Israel in the Jabalia camp, recalling those who once lived there. He explains that at the beginning of the war, the family, along with many neighbors, evacuated to a school sheltering displaced people near the Indonesian Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip.
He adds that after staying in the school for an extended period, upon a slight improvement in conditions, they returned home to find an entire residential square destroyed by warplanes. This led to the martyrdom of several of their neighbors. He expresses their confusion, not knowing where to seek shelter amidst the difficult living conditions in Gaza, with the Israeli aggression continuing.
The Government Media Office in Gaza reported that the occupation completely destroyed 70,000 residential units and partially destroyed 290,000 units, rendering them uninhabitable. The number of displaced individuals has reached two million since the war began on October 7th of last year.
