Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians in Gaza are returning to their homes in the enclave’s besieged north via Rashid Coastal Street in the central Gaza Strip for the first time since Israel’s deadliest 15-month-long war began.
The ceasefire deal, which began to be implemented on January 19 with the first exchange of Israeli captives and Palestinian prisoners, was supposed to allow for the return of displaced Palestinians from southern Gaza to the north after the second exchange of captives for prisoners, which took place on Saturday.
However, Israel forcibly blocked Palestinian civilians from approaching Netzarim on Sunday, firing on the crowds on at least three separate occasions, and killing at least two Palestinians, according to al-Awda Hospital, where the casualties were received. At least nine people, including a child, were wounded.
Thousands of people spent the past two nights in the open on Rashid and Salah al-Din Streets, despite the bitter cold, waiting for the occupation forces to allow them to return to their homes after forcing them to leave and flee to the south, according to Wafa news agency.
The Israeli military’s Arabic spokesman, Avichay Adraee, earlier gave timings for the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza, starting at 7:00 via Netzarim Road and Rashid Street, with vehicles allowed to move after inspection.
This comes after Qatar announced that Hamas had agreed to release female Israeli captive Arbel Yehud and two others by Friday and provided information on the conditions of those set to be freed in the first phase of the ceasefire deal, following Israel’s insistence that Arbel Yehud be released on Saturday before Palestinians were allowed to return to their homes in the north.
This historic moment would open the door for the return of 1.5 million people forcibly displaced by occupation forces, since the beginning of the war.
Hamas issued a statement describing the return of displaced people as “a victory” for the Palestinians and a defeat for the Israeli occupation and transfer plans”.
Confirming the scenes of the return of Palestinians to the areas from which they were displaced confirm their link to their land, once again “prove the failure of the occupation to achieve the aggressive goals of displacing people and breaking their steadfast will”.
While the whole of the Gaza Strip, a coastal enclave only 41 kilometres (25 miles) long, has been bombarded by Israel during its war, the north has been particularly devastated.
Aid agencies have already warned famine may have taken hold, only Safe and unimpeded flow of humanitarian and commercial supplies can prevent an all-out catastrophe in the North.
However, social media videos show joy among Palestinians as they return to their home.
A symbolic gesture of triumph was made when two young men climbed a tower on Al-Rashid Street and proudly raised the Palestinian flag.
Families reunited amid the devastation, embracing each other with tears of joy upon their return.
A Palestinian returnee embraces his mother upon his return to northern Gaza after 16 months of separation due to Israel’s genocidal war.
Around a million people fled to the south in October 2023, while hundreds of thousands remained in the north, which had some of the heaviest fighting and the worst destruction of the war.
This was following an Israel order for the wholesale evacuation of the north during the aground invasion in the opening days of the war.
Israel has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians since its war began in October 2023.
