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Visible not far away were green fields and trees across the border in Israel. An Israeli train sped by. They could easily see across the border because, they said, Israel several years ago tore down a nearby orchard on the Gaza side that was impeding its soldiers’ view in.

“Look at what they have,” the 27-year-old Kafarnah said. “Why can’t we live like that too?”

His friend, a school teacher who also lost his home, delivered a more pointed criticism of Hamas.

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“We have put up with a great deal. They take us to war, fire rockets on Israel from outside our homes and invite destruction to our homes. Fine, but now what?” said the green-eyed teacher in his late 20s, who did not want to be named for fear of retaliation.

“Does anyone in the government know what happened to us? Shouldn’t they come offer us help? Or a few comforting words?”

Rizk said he had hoped government officials would be there to take details from residents to offer assistance or future compensation. “But I have been wasting my time,” he said.

Ramadan Naufal said his family has moved from the house of one relative to another since the strikes on his home.

“They are fed up with us and I know it,” said the portly 46-year-old. So he buys groceries every day for his hosts “to cushion our intrusion.”

“This war was something else. No rock, tree or man has been spared,” he said, then adding the refrain said by many: “How can we cope with a war every couple of years?”

In the latest truce, dozens of residents of the al-Nada Towers visited their homes to salvage what they can. All seemed stunned and heavy with bereavement, even as they traded greetings with former neighbors, now partners in yet another journey to piece together their lives. Many traded advice on how to seek compensation.