Returning to Gaza City after a cease-fire, Palestinians will face an immense challenge to rebuild their lives in the city that’s been left in ruins after two years of war.

Israel’s bombardment of Gaza has left large swathes of the Strip in ruins, including parts of Gaza City which was the focus of Israel’s offensive before the ceasefire.

Among those desperate for the opening of the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt are the families of 15,000 patients needing medical evacuation, but hundreds have already died waiting.

New drone footage shows what remains of Gaza City after two years of war and as a ceasefire holds in its second day. Gaza City was the focus of Israel’s military offensive in the weeks before the ceasefire.

Palestinians returning to Gaza City over the weekend to see what is left of their homes are grappling with the scale of destruction. (AP Video/Abdel Kareem Hana)

The war in Gaza has ended, not because Hamas was destroyed or defeated, but because US President Trump decided to put an end to it. Now, the battlefield has shifted from territory to ideology.

Around 400,000 Palestinians have fled famine-stricken Gaza City since Israel launched a major offensive last month aimed at occupying it.

Sources say the 28-year-old was killed by members of Israel-linked ‘militia’ fighting Hamas in the Sabra neighbourhood.