Thousands of displaced Palestinians flocked back to their abandoned homes today, Friday, after the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect and Israeli forces began withdrawing from parts of Gaza.
Local sources reported that, since this morning, thousands of citizens began returning to Gaza City via Al-Rashid Road and Salah Al-Din Road, noting that the majority of the displaced will walk at least 7 kilometers.
A huge queue of displaced people from Gaza advanced via Dust and rubble towards Gaza City, the largest urban area in the Strip, which was attacked just days ago in one of the largest attacks launched by Israel in the war.
Al-Rashid Al-Sahel Street extends from the north of the Gaza Strip to its south, and witnessed, during the Israeli war of genocide, dozens of massacres committed by the occupation forces against citizens who were on their way to flee from the north to the south.
Ismail Zaida, 40 years old, from the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in Gaza City, said: “Praise be to God, my house is still standing, but the place is destroyed, my neighbors’ homes are destroyed, and entire neighborhoods have been demolished.”
A Gaza resident said: Today, the Israeli army withdrew, and we returned to where we used to live, considering that these places are still standing, but we did not find anything. We were looking for a mattress or at least a pillow, as winter is coming.
Umm Muhammad al-Madhoun said: I did not find our house, nor the house of our neighbors or relatives – nothing. All the relatives who used to live near me no longer had homes – they were all gone. We lived in Al-Baraka, “an area close to Sheikh Radwan Street.” Everything in Al-Baraka and Al-Jalaa Street was destroyed, everything was destroyed – no homes, no life.
One of the female invaders also said: I have been coming since the morning, when they were informed of the withdrawal, to find my house – I walk in the street, but I do not know "where to go" Because of the extent of the destruction, I swear I don’t know where the crossroads are or where my home is. I know my house is flattened, but where is it? Where is he? I can’t find it. What is this? What do we do with our lives? Where should we live, where should we stay? A house with several floors, but nothing remains of it.
