Tens of thousands of Palestinians return to northern Gaza
Over 300,000 people have already returned to the north after the agreement on the release of three Israeli hostages this week, according to Hamas, while Israel disputes these figures
Tens of thousands of Palestinians began heading to the northern Gaza Strip on Monday, taking main roads after spending months in temporary shelters.
This return, initially planned for the weekend, began after Hamas agreed to release three Israeli hostages this week, prompting Israeli forces to withdraw from the Netzarim Corridor, which runs through the enclave.
Hamas was supposed to free Arbel Yehud, an Israeli civilian, before releasing female IDF soldiers as they did on Saturday. The violation led Israel to stop the flow of Gazans north until the matter could be resolved.
The first residents arrived in Gaza City early in the morning, after the opening of the first crossing point at 7:00 am. A second crossing point opened about three hours later, this time allowing vehicle passage. On the road along the Mediterranean, a dense crowd of people carrying children in their arms and bags on their shoulders made progress north on foot.
According to the Hamas authorities in Gaza, over 300,000 people have already crossed into Gaza City and the northern part of the enclave. A large part of the area is now in ruins. The Hamas government's media office estimates that people returning to the north need at least 135,000 tents and shelters as they attempt to rebuild their lives in the debris-strewn landscape.
The Israeli forces, however, estimated that significantly less, numbering some tens of thousands, had come back.
The return was briefly interrupted when, according to Palestinian hospital officials, a bulldozer driver was killed by an Israeli missile along the coastal road. The Israeli army stated they had targeted suspects with precise means after they posed a threat to troops still present in Gaza.
This massive population displacement concerns about 650,000 Palestinians who left northern Gaza since the beginning of the conflict. Many of them were forced to move several times, according to the areas designated as humanitarian by Israel before being evacuated for military operations.