Aita Al Shaab, South Lebanon: A story of sorrow and joy

From the Lebanese who returned to their war-torn villages, there were those who reunited with their families, others who lost loved ones, and most returned to find their houses destroyed. For Hussein Saleh he returned to his Southern border village of Aita Al Shaab and reunited with his wife and children. Unfortunately, his in-laws were killed and his house occupied by Israelis and later on destroyed. I followed the journey of a family torn between joy for their reunion and sorrow for their losses.

When we first saw Hussein Saleh he was sitting at a school desk in Burj Abu Haidar’s public school, where he had taken refuge during the Israeli war on Lebanon and lost any contact with all his family members. We reunited with Hussein Saleh, this time in his war ravaged village on the southern Lebanese border, Aita Al Shaab his war ravaged village.

This time Hussein was not alone, he was luckily surrounded by his wife, five children and grandchildren. Hussein, or Abu Nizar was stuck in Beirut the first day the war started and could not come back to his house, as Aita Al Shaab was one of the first villages to face the fiercest confrontations between Hezbollah and Israel.

"We came back to the village as soon as the ceasfire was brokered, it was difficult, Israelis are still around. You can see them at night, and hear their machinries, during the day they hide"

His wife first ran away with her paralyzed grandchild to the neighboring village of Rmeich. But when the battles got closer and fiercer, a press envoy escorted them to Sidon, where they took refuge at a school. His two children, Mohammad and Nizar, left Aita Al Shaab after 15 days and took refuge in Majdelyoun, near Sidon.

His wife's parents and brother were killed in their house in Aita Al Shaab. Her mother and father died instantly, her brother died, as the Red Cross could not reach himand succumbed to his wounds.

The war dispersed Abu Nizar’s family and destroyed his house. On the road to his ravaged house, Abu Nizar, who is now staying with at his son, tells us that he still has not yet decided what to do, but thanking god he and his family reunited. He recalls what was of his neighbors’ houses, shops and grieves for the peaceful old days.

We reach his house. A donkey lays astray, and one cow survived. Abu Nizar’s house, like many others in Aita Al Shaab was used as a main front for the Israelis as traces and leftovers lay there in the rubble proof of their staying in the house. Cigarette boxes, chocolate boxes, tuna and corn cans “Made In Israel” .And the most distinguished sign, a big stain of blood on a bed cover, sign of a wounded Israeli soldier.

We move further into the village or what was of the village. Aita Al Shaab who beholds 30.000 residents suffered the destruction of almost 95% of its houses, shops and infrastructure. No one could really assess the number of houses that were left to crumble here and one question hunts the head of those who view this horrific scene “What was used to destroy these houses?”