Thousands of displaced Palestinians have begun a long walk back to their homes in north Gaza after the ceasefire came into effect. The journey is a stark reminder of the devastation caused by the war, with many returning to find their homes destroyed.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians began a long walk home to war-stricken north Gaza on Monday after the ceasefire came into effect almost 48 hours after originally planned. Thousands of displaced Palestinians have finally begun a long voyage back home on foot to what remains of north- Gaza after more than 15 months of war as humanitarian aid ramps up to re-home a mass of people.
Israel opened the Netzarim corridor for Palestinians to pass into the Gaza strip on Monday after almost 48 hours from when it was initially agreed upon, revealing a wasteland city reduced to just rubble and carnage. The delay comes after Israel accused Hamas of breaching the terms of the ceasefire deal as the militant group failed to release a female civilian hostage named Arbel Yehud on Saturday as expected. The Israeli Prime Minister's office confirmed on Sunday Hamas agreed to release Yehud along with female soldier Agam Berger and one other hostage on Thursday, prompting the Israeli military to withdraw from the checkpoints holding the Palestinians back. Since the ceasefire began on January 19, Hamas has released seven female Israelis in exchange for more than 250 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. Thousands of displaced Palestinians finally began a long voyage back home on foot to what remains of north-Gaza after more than 15 months of war as humanitarian aid ramps up to re-home a mass of people. Picture: Getty With the first light of dawn and Israeli soldiers gone, a heavy shore of Palestinians suffering from war-exhaustion streamed across the coast, parallel to the Mediterranean, freely to embark on the long journey. Amongst the sea of crowds, children looked exhilarated to be reunited with lost family, some were seen holding infants close to their chest while others gripped their belongings tightly as tears formed in their eyes to see what lay ahead. For hours families walked with the elderly hunched over and amputees on crutches as they passed by houses and buildings completely burnt down and strewn. The first wave of residents arrived in Gaza city about 7am after the first crossing point in central Gaza opened. Another crossing opened around three hours later, letting in vehicles. With the first light of dawn and Israeli soldiers gone, a heavy shore of Palestinians suffering from war-exhaustion streamed across the coast parallel to the Mediterranean freely to embark on the long journey. Picture: Getty The first wave of residents arrived in Gaza city at 7am after the first crossing point in central Gaza opened. Another crossing opened around three hours later, letting in vehicles. Picture: Getty Later on Monday, Hamas officials claimed more than 300,000 people had crossed into Gaza City and the north edge of the enclave. 'My heart is beating, I thought I would never come back,' Osama, 50, a public servant and father of five said, as he arrived in Gaza city. 'Whether the ceasefire succeeds or not, we will never leave Gaza city and the north again, even if Israel would sent a tank for each one of us, no more displacement.' 'No sleep, I have everything packed and ready to go with the first light of day,' Ghada, a mother of five said. 'At least we are going back home, now I can say war is over and I hope it will stay calm,' she told Reuters via a chat app. For hours families walked with the elderly hunched over and amputees on crutches as they passed by houses and buildings completely burnt down and strewn. Picture: Getty Chief of Communication and Advocacy at UNICEF State of Palestine Jonathan Crickx told Sky News the thousands of Gazans are flocking to a 'dire' and 'concerning' reality. 'I was there today with those families walking up north and clearly those families, the children I've met, they are just carrying what they can carry. They can only carry a few bags that they managed to keep with them, so clearly the situation in north Gaza is concerning,' Mr Crickx told Sky News. As of January 26, at least 47,306 Gazan civilians including 17,492 children have been killed in the war. What remains of the repeatedly attacked city is ravaged homes, partially functional hospitals, 80 per cent of commercial buildings completely destroyed, road networks and cropland also damaged. 'They prefer to live in a tent in the rubble of their house than in a tent elsewhere,' Mr Crickx said. 'Clearly they seem to be very attached to the land and so it is important for us to bring winter clothes, and water and nutritious food especially since I have seen a lot of children suffering from malnutrition.
GAZA CEASEFIRE PALESTINIANS WAR HUMANITARIAN AID
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