Using small tools and his bare hands, he sifts through mounds of twisted debris and dirt to try and unearth belongings and important paperwork such as property deeds to prove he is the legal owner.

He dreams of one day being able to rebuild; in the short-term, he hopes that even the rubble might hold some value.

The war in Gaza has left an unprecedented level of destruction, with an estimated 51 million tons of rubble blanketing the landscape where bustling neighborhoods once thrived.

According to a new UN damage and needs assessment report, over 60 per cent of homes – amounting to some 292,000 – and 65 per cent of roads have been destroyed, across the approximately 360 square kilometre enclave.

As the international community ponders Gaza’s future and how to rebuild, Al-Majdalawi is sure of one thing: “We will not leave. That will not happen. This is our land.’’