Rumbling out of the crowded Jabaliya town and refugee camp, Israeli troops and tanks left nothing but flattened homes, streets littered with human remains and heartbroken civilians.

"They targeted the people, the homes and even the farms," said Umm Noaman, an elder woman.

She pointed to her dead chicken and goats, saying the animals "died of fear".

Hundreds of Israeli soldiers, backed by dozens of tanks, had trudged through the streets Jabaliya for days, clashing with Palestinian fighters as aircraft razed homes to the ground.

Israel withdrew its ground troops earlier Monday after killing at least 117 people, including 35 children and ten women, in a devastating five-day onslaught.

Most of the victims fell in Jabaliya, north of Gaza City.

"They destroyed every thing that we held dear to our hearts," Umm Noaman said with tears strolling down her wrinkled face.

Mourning

With a stench of death rising from the ruins, mourning tents were erected on nearly every cratered street.

"Jabaliya is in mourning," said Abu Nael Thabet, a Palestinian elder.

"Israeli tanks destroyed everything. They were merciless."

The walls of destroyed buildings were stained with blood and streets filled with rubbles.

People were moving from one building to the other searching for loved ones buried under the rubble.

Children were looking for toys and school books.

"I found it," a young child screamed in joy waving a teddy bear.

Nearby, another was searching for her books and stationary while her mother sat crying on the debris of what was a few days ago their home.

Two meters away, a five-year old child was crying and calling on his missing cat.

"Calm down my baby," his mother said in a smoothing tone.

"The Israelis must have scared the kitty away."

Venturing out after Israeli armor and infantry withdrew, Ragi Abd-Rabou said the Israelis sent them back to the stone age.

"They targeted the phone line, water pipes and even the sewerage network.

"They destroyed everything."

HEYET Net- Isalmonline