At night, when darkness drenches this community, the twinkling colors are the only lights visible. Eight hundred people used to live here, including families with children who scampered about in the evenings. Even the streetlamps are gone, mowed down when tanks plowed through the narrow lanes as the Israeli army arrived to defend against the attackers. Ms. Khon, 56, and Mr. Shnurman, 62, are the only residents who have returned so far. At night, the silence is eerie, punctured episodically by the thunderous sound of bombs exploding in Gaza.

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Persons: Ayelet Khon, Ms, Khon, Shar Shnurman, Shnurman Locations: Gaza