Displaced People Continue to Flow into Northern Gaza for the Second Day
For the second day, thousands of Palestinians make their way back to northern Gaza, facing challenges but determined to rebuild their lives.
Watan-Large numbers of displaced people continued, for the second day, to flow toward northern Gaza on foot or in carts along Al-Rashid and Salah al-Din Streets, following a day that saw the return of 300,000 Palestinians from the southern and central parts of the Strip.
Al Jazeera correspondent Ashraf Abu Amra reported that the flow of displaced people from the south and center of the Strip has not stopped in recent hours but is increasing.
He added that the movement of displaced people toward the north—on Tuesday—has been smooth and well-coordinated following the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces yesterday from the Netzarim axis (central Gaza) toward the eastern areas.
Live footage on Al Jazeera showed large numbers of families carrying light belongings walking along Al-Rashid Street. He noted that small carts were transporting children, women, and the sick to the final point, the area overlooking Wadi Gaza Bridge, where large numbers gathered at the Nablusi Roundabout to reunite with their returning family members.
From this point, the returnees head to the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood in southern Gaza City, then on to the city’s remaining neighborhoods and the northern areas of the Strip, such as Jabalia, Beit Lahia, and Beit Hanoun.
The return of the displaced—from the south and center to the north—began yesterday as part of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement that went into effect last Sunday. Many citizens in southern and central areas dismantled their tents to use them near the ruins of their homes in the north.
During yesterday’s flow of displaced people, Israeli aircraft targeted a horse-drawn cart and a bulldozer in the central Gaza Strip, resulting in the deaths of a child and a man.
According to Reuters, approximately 650,000 Palestinians were displaced from northern Gaza during the 15-month war, with hundreds of thousands seeking refuge in the coastal area of Al-Mawasi, stretching from Deir al-Balah in central Gaza to Rafah in the south.
Long Queues
Simultaneously, as thousands returned via Al-Rashid coastal road, Al Jazeera correspondent Ashraf Abu Amra reported that thousands of cars were lined up in long queues, estimated to stretch 3 kilometers, on Salah al-Din Street.
The correspondent noted that vehicles are being electronically inspected at the Netzarim checkpoint by a joint committee of mediators. From there, displaced people also head to Gaza City.
He added that movement on Salah al-Din Street is somewhat slow, as inspecting each car takes between 10 and 15 minutes.
The Al Jazeera correspondent observed that the vehicles are loaded with the displaced people’s belongings, including their worn-out tents brought from the southern part of the Strip.
He also noted that the returnees are determined to set up their tents in Gaza City and the northern areas of the Strip.
The returnees came from Khan Younis and other southern areas, as well as from Deir al-Balah and nearby points in the central Gaza Strip.
The head of the Government Media Office in Gaza, Salama Maarouf, told Al Jazeera that at least 120,000 tents are needed to shelter the displaced in the north.
Many returnees spent the night outdoors in northern Gaza, which has been 80% destroyed, according to authorities in the Strip.
Despite the destruction caused by the occupation in their areas, many Palestinians expressed joy at returning to their homes in northern Gaza after months of forced displacement.
The ceasefire agreement was reached following a devastating Israeli war on Gaza that lasted 15 months, resulting in over 47,000 deaths and 111,000 injuries.
