Displaced Palestinians in Gaza find shelter in Yasser Arafat’s damaged villa
The Gaza residence of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat stands in ruins, like most other buildings in the devastated territory, but the remains of the once-lavish villa now also host several displaced families.
Footage by AFP news agency shows the house, converted into a museum after the Palestinian leader’s death in 2004 and bearing murals in his honour, surrounded by rubble.
Located in the Remal neighbourhood in Gaza City, the house was heavily damaged by Israeli attacks during the two years of Israel’s war on Gaza.
Ashraf Nafeth Abu Salem, a university professor who found shelter in the residence with his own and other families, said he had decided to clean up the rubble inside the house’s courtyard, which was “largely destroyed and burned”.
“We belong to the generation of the first Intifada [1987-1993]. We grew up throwing stones,” he said.
“For us, President Abu Ammar was a model and a symbol of the Palestinian national struggle,” the professor said, referring to Arafat by the affectionate name used by his supporters.
Just to be clear: Intifada means Uprising or Rebellion, not 'death to all Jews' as I was taught when growing up...
Gaza children gradually return to school amid fragile ceasefire
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) announced this week that, following the start of the ceasefire in Gaza, it was reopening some schools in the territory, with children gradually returning to classes.
At Al Hassaina school in western Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip, classes had just resumed despite the shortage of available classrooms.
Warda Radwan, an 11-year-old student, said she was looking forward to returning to her learning routine. “I am in sixth grade now, but I lost two years of schooling because of displacement and the war,” she told the AFP news agency.
During Israel’s two-year war on Gaza, Al Hassaina, like many other UNRWA facilities throughout the territory, became a shelter for dozens of displaced families.
Jenin Abu Jarad, a relative of one of the students, said she was thankful to see the children back in classes.
“Since October 7, there hasn’t been any school for our children,” she said.
“During this time, all they could do was fetch water, get food, or play in the streets. But thankfully, about a week to 10 days ago, schools began reopening gradually,” she added.
Israeli forces shell the northern part of Beit Lahiya city
Palestinian media sources report that the Israeli military has shelled an area in the northern part of Beit Lahiya, a city in the north of the Gaza Strip.
Israel has repeatedly attacked areas across Gaza, despite the ceasefire. Earlier today, Israeli fighter jets, artillery, and tanks also shelled areas around Khan Younis, southern Gaza.
