Thousands of displaced Palestinians on Monday started returning to the north of war-ravaged Gaza after Israel and Hamas reached a deal for the release of another six hostages.
However, the mayor of Rafah yesterday urged displaced civilians not to return to areas of the city as it remains “extremely dangerous.”
The Israeli government on Monday said that eight of the hostages held in Gaza who were due for release in the truce’s first phase are dead.
Photo: AP
The fragile ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas is intended to bring an end to more than 15 months of war that began with Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
Israel had prevented Palestinians from returning to northern Gaza, accusing Hamas of violating the terms of the truce, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office late on Sunday said they would be allowed to pass after a new agreement was reached.
Hamas had said blocking the returns amounted to a truce violation.
Photo: Reuters
Large crowds of people moved through the now-open Netzarim Corridor into the north, watched over by Israeli tanks. Some pulled carts weighed down with mattresses and other essentials. Others carried what belongings they could.
Late on Monday, the Hamas government in Gaza said that “more than 300,000 displaced” had returned during the day “to the governorates of the north,” an area of Gaza severely battered by the war.
After reaching the area, men embraced each other.
“Welcome to Gaza,” read a newly erected banner hanging above a dirt road in front of a collapsed building in Gaza City.
“This is the happiest day of my life,” said Lamees al-Iwady, a 22-year-old who returned to Gaza City after being displaced several times.
“I feel as though my soul and life have returned to me,” she said. “We will rebuild our homes, even if it’s with mud and sand.”
With the joy of return came shock at the extent of destruction wrought by more than a year of war.
The Hamas-run government’s media office said that 135,000 tents and caravans are needed in Gaza City and the north to shelter returning families.
Still, Hamas called the return “a victory” for Palestinians that “signals the failure and defeat of the plans for occupation and displacement.”
Rafah Mayor Ahmed al-Soufi told al-Jazeera that Palestinians seeking to return to the devastated city should exercise caution as Israeli soldiers remain stationed along the Philadelphi Corridor — the 14km strip of land along the Gaza-Egypt border.
He said the city remains “extremely dangerous” even outside of that designated zone, saying it would stay this way until the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces.
“Access to the southern half of the city near the border axis is unavailable,” he said. “Although the northwestern, northern and eastern areas are relatively safer due to their distance from the axis, they are still vulnerable” to Israeli firepower.
Displaced people should not rush back to the city, especially its central and southern areas, which he describes as “devastated” and lacking in basic “living conditions,” he said.
Additional reporting by the Guardian
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