Aerial footage best shows today's devastation in Gaza

(Patria) - With heavy hearts, but with hope of returning to their homes, numerous Palestinians are today, thanks to the ceasefire, returning to Gaza which has become a "ghost town" and devastation.

- I don't know what to say. The images are stronger than words: destruction, destruction, and more destruction - Saher Abu al-Ata told AFP.

In mid-September, the Israeli army began a major ground offensive to capture Gaza City, which Israel portrayed as one of the last strongholds of the Palestinian movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

In the city, which according to the United Nations had a population of about one million people in August, many buildings are damaged, without windows, or completely destroyed.

Pedestrians, mostly men and predominantly without their belongings, walk through streets filled with debris today, according to AFPTV footage.

The al-Rantisi Hospital for Children and Cancer Patients is devastated. Its rooms now consist of overturned beds, large holes in the ceilings, and scattered equipment, Hina reports.

The Israeli army has withdrawn to agreed positions within the Gaza Strip, and thousands of Gazans have continued their journey north along the coastal road al-Rashid, on foot or by car, with some carrying mattresses and blankets.

Palestinians in Gaza return to the north as the ceasefire agreement has been in effect.

The second big return this year. Such a wonderful and relieving photo to see. pic.twitter.com/PnFGjG8Z9B

— Abubaker Abed (@AbubakerAbedW) October 10, 2025

Radža Salmi is one of them. She described how the more than 15 kilometers between Khan Yunis, where she was displaced, and the Gaza Strip was "extremely exhausting," and the journey "long".

- We walked for hours, and every step was filled with fear and anxiety for my home - she said from Gaza City.

A civil defense official in Gaza, a first aid organization operating under Hamas authority, said at noon today that about 250,000 people had returned to the northern part of the Palestinian territory since the ceasefire came into effect the previous day at 11:00 AM.

When Radža Salmi finally arrived in the al-Rimal neighborhood, she "couldn't find (her) house".

- It no longer exists. (Now) it's just a pile of rubble. I stood in front of it and cried. All those memories are now dust - Salmi said.

Drone footage shows widespread destruction in Gaza City neighbourhoods following weeks of conflict.#Gaza #DroneFootage #Destruction pic.twitter.com/spsR14jV0K

— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) October 11, 2025

The United Nations estimated in the spring that about 92 percent of residential buildings in the Gaza Strip were damaged or destroyed since the beginning of the war.

- Everything around us seems dead - says 28-year-old Sami Musa, who returned to Gaza without his family to assess the situation and the condition of their house.

- It's still standing, although it's damaged, but what I saw in the city is shocking. I felt like I had entered a ghost town, not Gaza.

The streets are destroyed and leveled, there is sand everywhere, and many houses have collapsed or are completely empty - said Musa from the al-Shati refugee camp.

He described a "smell of death" and "total" destruction that he no longer recognizes the city.

- We lost beautiful Gaza and we are still afraid of what will happen - Musa emphasized.

Let's recall that Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of US President Donald Trump's 20-point plan to end the war.