Israel home destruction amid truce points toward Gaza annexation

Israel has continued to demolish buildings across Gaza despite a declared ceasefire and a partial military withdrawal, in what has been described as a campaign to make the enclave uninhabitable and prevent Palestinians from returning to their homes.

Although the ceasefire took effect on 10 October, and Israel began pulling troops back to what it calls the yellow line, explosions have continued almost nightly in areas east and north of the Strip. Israeli forces claim the detonations are part of efforts to "clear the area"  or "remove buildings near the border for security reasons".

Palestinians say the policy extends the war by other means and could be part of a plan to ethnically cleanse the territory with no homes and infrastructure killing any hopes of return.

"Calm isn’t measured by statements, but by the silence we need to catch our breath," said Rahma Saadallah, 42, displaced from Gaza City’s Shuja’iyya district.

"The children wake up terrified, and I can’t reassure them. How can I explain that the war is over when they hear explosions every night?"

Saadallah told The New Arab's Arabic edition Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that since the ceasefire announcement, she has lived in hope that the "nightmares would end", but the detonations continue.

"Every night we hear explosions near and far," she said. "They say they’re demolishing houses outside the yellow line, behind which lie our homes and the rubble we’re still forbidden to return to."

Leila Abu Shaaban, a government schoolteacher currently out of work, said she had expected quiet nights after the ceasefire. "Not a single night passes without loud explosions that bring back memories of the bombardment," she said.

Abu Shaaban now gathers local children for informal lessons after months without schooling. "These sounds keep fear alive in people’s hearts," she added. "What’s the point of an agreement if we can’t sleep in peace or rest after such long, harsh months of war?"

Samer Omar, a taxi driver from Beach Camp, said the continuing detonations, especially at night, have created “a state of fear and confusion” among residents.

"With every explosion, people think the war has returned," he said. "Some passengers cancel their trips out of fear. Even if they call them engineering operations, the sound is the same - and the fear is the same."

Samir al-Asli, whose land lies near Gaza’s eastern border, said he watches the demolitions daily. "They’re blowing up houses in an unending act of revenge," he said. "Every explosion makes us think the war has begun again. My daughter asks me why it happens, even though I told her the war is over."

There are fears that Israel plans a modified version of the General's Plan, which could see Israel making Gaza entirely unliveable to force Palestinians to leave the enclave in large numbers.

Political analyst Sharhabil al-Gharib told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the ongoing demolitions show Israel is trying to impose a new reality in Gaza.

"The occupation has created a situation to ensure things will never return to how they were before," he said. "This is a practical translation of Netanyahu’s statement that Israel will maintain security control in Gaza."

Al-Gharib said the demolitions align with the US-backed vision for reconstruction, which American officials recently said would begin only beyond the yellow line.

"The policy clears vast tracts of land and strips Palestinians of property rights," he explained, adding that it reflects dissatisfaction among some Israeli factions with the ceasefire deal.

He warned that the situation remains fragile. "The United States is pressing Netanyahu to maintain the ceasefire, but the situation could explode at any moment as Israel continues asserting its right to permanent security control," al-Gharib said.