GAZA CITY: The Gazan 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.
AFPTV footage shows the house, converted into a museum after the Palestinian leader’s death in 2004 and bearing murals in his honor, surrounded by rubble.
Located in the Rimal neighborhood in Gaza City, the house was heavily damaged by Israeli strikes during the two years of war that followed Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
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.”
A metal door that opens from the villa onto the street is adorned with a poster of Arafat, wearing his trademark keffiyeh and sunglasses. Behind him in the image is a smaller picture of the current president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmud Abbas.
Abu Salem leafed through an old, yellowed book bearing Arafat’s portrait.
“We belong to the generation of the first intifada (in 1987). 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 supporters.
Three-quarters of the buildings in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed in the two-year war, producing over 61 million tons of debris, according to UN data analyzed by AFP.
Displaced Gazans find shelter in Yasser Arafat’s dilapidated villa
https://arab.news/929sb
Displaced Gazans find shelter in Yasser Arafat’s dilapidated villa
- Located in the Rimal neighborhood in Gaza City, the house was heavily damaged by Israeli strikes during the two years of war
- Ashraf Nafeth Abu Salem found shelter in the residence with his own and other families
About 50,000 worshippers perform Taraweeh prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque
- Palestinians are observing Ramadan amid heightened tensions in the occupied West Bank
- Over 300 Jerusalemites have recently received Israeli orders prohibiting their entry to Al-Aqsa Mosque during the fasting month
LONDON: Nearly 50,000 worshippers performed the Isha and Ramadan Taraweeh prayers on Sunday evening at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the walled city of occupied East Jerusalem.
Thousands of Palestinians gathered at Al-Aqsa despite facing Israeli military checkpoints and strict identity checks at the mosque’s gates, according to the Jerusalem Governorate.
Palestinians are observing the fasting month of Ramadan, which began last Wednesday, amid heightened tensions in the occupied West Bank, including attacks by settlers, and Israeli raids and arrests.
Over 300 Jerusalemites have recently received Israeli orders prohibiting their entry to Al-Aqsa during Ramadan, the Wafa news agency reported.
Israeli forces have increased their military presence in Jerusalem and restricted access to Al-Aqsa to children under 12, men over 55, and women over 50.
Since Wednesday, thousands of Palestinians have lined up to pass through military checkpoints, including Qalandiya and Bethlehem, in hopes of attending prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan.
