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Following the IDF's reopening of the Netzarim Corridor Monday after an agreement was reached for Arbel Yehoud to be returned on Thursday, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have begun returning to northern Gaza, with reports estimating around 650,000 people making their way back after months of displacement.
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Hamas welcomes masses going north
The displacement followed Israeli evacuation orders and military activities in the region during the war. Palestinians were forced to live in temporary tent camps, but with the corridor reopened many are now heading back to their destroyed homes. While the Israeli military warned against the transfer of weapons or terrorists to the north, enforcement efforts have varied. Vehicles traveling through Salah al-Din Street are being inspected by an American company, while those walking along al-Rashid Street near the coast face no screening.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad have taken advantage of the return for propaganda purposes. Masked terrorists with headbands bearing their organizations' insignias greeted returning residents, shaking hands with some and waving to others. In one widely shared photograph, a man holding a child stands beside a Hamas terrorist, both making victory signs for the cameras. Welcome banners were also posted on the remaining structures in the area.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians had waited for two days at checkpoints, hoping to return to their homes. Many slept on the streets after Israel delayed reopening the corridor due to unresolved issues regarding Arbel Yehoud’s release. This morning, with the matter resolved, masses of people began their journey north.
Ismail Abu Matar, a father of four, described the scene as "a sea of people" moving northward. He and his family waited three days to return to their home in Gaza City. "These were three days of hell. We feared the cease-fire would collapse, and we wouldn’t be able to return," he said.
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Hundreds of thousands moving north
(Photo: REUTERS/Hatem Khaled, REUTERS/Ramadan Abed)
Another Palestinian, who walked from Deir al-Balah to the north, said, "Two months ago, I cried in the shameful tent camps, and today I’m returning to my family and my people, back home. I will rebuild my house from the ruins. Without the resilience of the people in the north, we wouldn’t have seen this day."
One man declared, "We will die here; we will not uproot ourselves again. Even Trump couldn’t force us to emigrate. I’m happy to be back and will never leave again."
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Moving north
A man who returned to Gaza City after over a year expressed his relief, saying, "We’ve been waiting for this moment for a year and four months. Today, I’d rather die than uproot myself again." Another Palestinian from the Zaytoun neighborhood added, "I’ve been sleeping in the street for five days, waiting to return. I regret the moment we left. It would have been better to die in my house. We were humiliated."
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A laborer who was in Israel on October 7 had been sent directly to southern Gaza through the Kerem Shalom Crossing while his family remained in Beit Lahia. "Now I will walk about five kilometers to reunite with my family in the north. I’ve been waiting for this moment," he said.
Hamas released a statement declaring, "The return of the displaced is a victory for our people and a declaration of the failure and defeat of the occupation and its plans for displacement. The sight of the massive crowds of our people returning to the areas they were forced to flee, despite the destruction of their homes, confirms the greatness of our people and their steadfastness in their land despite the pain and tragedy."
Islamic Jihad issued its own statement, saying, "In a legendary scene, hundreds of thousands of our displaced people are returning to northern Gaza, which Israel destroyed. This return is a response to anyone who dreams of uprooting our people."