Tens of thousands of Palestinians are returning to their homes in northern Gaza in scenes of joy and jubilation – a moment some feared would never come.
“It’s like I was born again and we were victorious again,” said Palestinian mother Umm Mohammed Ali, who had been part of the crowds streaming along roads heading north.
Many had infants in their arms or carried what belongings they could as they journeyed up from southern Gaza on foot after Israel opened crossings on Monday.
There were cheers in shelters and tent encampments when people who had been displaced by 15 months of brutal conflict heard they would be able to return to northern Gaza – even though many will inevitably find their homes destroyed.
Their return was delayed after Israel refused to open checkpoints after it claimed Hamas had breached the ceasefire agreement, before agreeing to open them today.
Yasmin Abu Amshah, a mother of three, said she walked nearly four miles to reach her home in Gaza City, where she found it damaged but still habitable. She also saw her younger sister for the first time in over a year.
“It was a long trip, but a happy one,” she said. “The most important thing is that we returned.”
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Many saw their return as an act of steadfastness after more than a year of Israeli military action in Gaza.
Ismail Abu Matter, a father who waited for three days near the crossing point before moving north with his family, described scenes of celebration on the other side.
Palestinians sang, prayed and cried as they were reunited with relatives, he said.
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“It’s the joy of return,” said Mr Abu Matter, whose relatives were among the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who fled or were driven out of what is now Israel during the 1948 war surrounding its creation. “We had thought we wouldn’t return, like our ancestors.”
Ghada, a mother of five, said: “No sleep, I have everything packed and ready to go with the first light of day.
“At least we are going back home, now I can say war is over and I hope it will stay calm.”
Hamas said the return was “a victory for our people, and a declaration of failure and defeat for the (Israeli) occupation and transfer plans”.
