Gazans back in war-ravaged Jabalia 'shocked' by destruction

Jabalia, Gaza strip: Mohammed Al Najjar, a 33 year old Gazan, said Saturday he was shocked and feeling lost as he returned home, only to find much...

Jabalia, Gaza strip: Mohammed Al-Najjar, a 33-year-old Gazan, said Saturday he was "shocked" and feeling "lost" as he returned home, only to find much of Jabalia refugee camp in ruins after an Israeli offensive

"All the houses have been reduced to rubble," Najjar told AFP in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip.

"You are lost, you do not know where exactly your house is in the middle of this massive destruction."

Israeli occupation forces carried out a massive bombardment campaign in Jabalia in recent weeks, part of a fierce ground offensive in northern Gaza -- an area the military had previously said was out of the control of Hamas.  "I was shocked by the extent of the destruction in the latest aggression on Jabalia camp," said Najjar.

In recent days, AFP correspondents have seen scores of Palestinians streaming into the area, trying to find their homes and salvage whatever belongings are left.