Palestinians return to northern Gaza

Moments after returning to her home in an affluent neighborhood in northern Gaza, Sabrine Zanoun, 44, said she was overwhelmed by a mix of emotions.

“We are happy to see our family again… (but) it is also so sad that it makes you cry: the destroyed houses, the rubble,” he told the BBC.

“People came here just to walk through the beautiful landscape. Now it’s mostly ruins.”

Sabrine was one of hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians who returned to their homes, or the ruins in their place, in northern Gaza on Monday.

The mass return comes a week after a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas aimed at permanently ending a war that began more than 15 months ago.

Like others in Gaza, she had been displaced several times over the course of the war, most recently in the central city of Deir al-Balah.

He joined a “flood of people” traveling on foot along coastal al-Rashid Street, a route that opened to displaced Gazans early Monday morning.

A security official in Gaza told the AFP news agency that more than 200,000 people had crossed on foot into the northern strip in a two-hour period.

The Palestinians spoke to the BBC while making the trip.

“It was very long and exhausting,” said Israa Shaheen, 24, shortly after arriving in Gaza City.

“Until halfway there, people were happy and singing and stuff like that, but then when a lot of time went by, people got frustrated. Then we came to a sign that said ‘Welcome to Gaza’ and a lot of Palestinian flags. And people started to feel joy again,” he said.

Others made the trip by car via a different route.

“There are thousands of people here. They are filling the entire road… we are very happy but I also feel sad because I know I will reach Gaza City but my house is no longer there,” Wafaa Hassouna, 42, said by phone. as he approached the checkpoint.

When people arrived at their destinations, they spoke of their surprise at what was left standing in their communities.

Mohammed Imad Al-Din, a barber who had been waiting at the checkpoint, returned to find his house destroyed and his salon looted and damaged by a nearby Israeli strike.

Lubna Nassar had been waiting with her two daughters and son to join her husband. But although he survived, his home was gone.

“The warmth of reunion was overshadowed by the bitter reality: We no longer have a home, so we moved from a tent in the south to a tent in the north,” he said.

Others are still waiting to make the journey home or decide their next steps.

One man said he would have “ran north like he was in a race” if he didn’t have his pregnant wife and young daughter with him. Instead, they waited for the large crowd to pass and slowly make their way home. He said they expected to find much of their neighborhood leveled.

“We hope this war ends and we rebuild everything that is destroyed,” he said.

Another said his brother had told him not to come back for now. He “called and said… the houses are demolished. People are sleeping on the streets and no one helps them.”

In the affluent Tel al-Hawa neighborhood, Sabrine said she was grateful to be back with her family and in a house that was still standing.

“It’s mostly ruins and destruction. Anyone who finds their house still standing, or even a room, should consider themselves lucky,” he said.

Additional information from Muath Al-Khatib