DaysofPal- In the heart of Gaza’s once-bustling Rimal neighborhood, dozens of families displaced by Israeli bombing are now living in precarious conditions inside the shattered remains of high-rise buildings. With their homes destroyed, many have no choice but to seek shelter among cracked walls and exposed concrete, facing winter rains and daily threats of collapse.
The Shawa and Hosary Tower, a 12-story residential block on al-Wehda Street, was once a landmark filled with families, offices, and life.
After intense Israeli airstrikes, much of the building now stands in ruins, with half its apartments destroyed and the rest stripped of necessities. Despite the dangers, families lacking alternatives have moved into whatever spaces remain, erecting makeshift tents from nylon and salvaged materials in the shadow of broken columns and open ceilings.
One such family is that of Ibtisam Saleh, who lives with her disabled father under a slanting, burned ceiling on the first floor.
“We have nowhere else to go,Every night I fear the roof will collapse on us, but there is simply no other option.” she said.
Before the genocidal war, the Salehs owned a home in Jabalia Refugee Camp, but it was destroyed in the ongoing bombardment.
Their ordeal is not unique. In the upper floors, Abdullah Abdel Rabbo and his family of fifteen live on old mattresses scavenged from rubble, with no heating and little protection from the cold.
The arrival of autumn rains has turned the cracked floors to mud, and the only warmth comes from small fires that fill the air with smoke. “Life here is unbearable,” Abdel Rabbo explained, describing how sewage leaks from higher floors and children risk injury with every step.
He added, “Every sound of the wind makes us think the building will fall.”
Families recount nights of terror when new airstrikes hit, sending rubble crashing down on tents below.
In one incident, a large piece of debris killed a relative seeking shelter. Despite the clear dangers, the displaced say they have no alternatives. “If we leave, others will simply take our place,” Abdel Rabbo said, his voice heavy with despair.
The building’s staircases, fractured and riddled with gaps, are now lifelines for residents moving between floors, though a single misstep could be fatal. Outside, tents crowd the entrance, and the air is thick with the smell of garbage, marking a stark contrast to the tower’s previous life as a hub for families and media offices.
Officials and humanitarian agencies report that such scenes are now common across Gaza, where over 92% of homes have been reduced to rubble, forcing more than 1.7 million people into displacement.
With basic supplies limited by ongoing conflict and blockades, the United Nations has described the situation as “bleak,” stressing the urgent need for safe shelter and essential services.
For the families of Shawa and Hosary Tower, safety and dignity remain distant hopes amid the ruins, as Gaza’s displaced brace for another winter with little more than broken walls to protect them.
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