For Palestinians returning North, elation mixed with despair

Jerusalem: For the first time in more than a year, tens of thousands of Palestinians have reached their homes in the northern Gaza Strip, giving way to a mix of elation and despair.

On Tuesday, throughout Gaza City, people had emotional reunions with family members who had remained in northern Gaza during the war. But the return home was also shocking and depressing. Israel’s bombing campaign had flattened entire neighborhoods, making them barely recognizable piles of rubble.

“We’re overcome with joy — we’re finally in our neighborhood near friends and family after a year living on the sidewalk and the sand,” said Rajab al-Sindawi, 49, a salesperson of secondhand clothing from Gaza City who had traveled to Rafah, Deir al Balah and Nuseirat after leaving the north. “But our home is gone and it feels like our future is gone, too.”

The mass return to northern Gaza began after Israeli troops withdrew from Gaza’s coastal road Monday under the terms of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, allowing displaced people to move north.

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from northern Gaza had fled south at the start of Israel’s military offensive against Hamas. For nearly 16 months, they lived in tents, makeshift shelters, schools and the homes of friends and relatives.

Northern Gaza was one of the places in the coastal enclave hit hardest during the war. It was where the Israeli military had focused its campaign in the initial aftermath of the Hamas-led October 2023 attack on southern Israel that left roughly 1,200 people dead and 250 others taken hostage.

With the ubiquitous destruction, northern Gaza badly needed tents and temporary housing units, according to Samah Hamad, the Palestinian Authority’s social development minister.

Tens of thousands of tents awaited Israel’s approval to enter Gaza, said Hamad, who has been involved in the Palestinian Authority’s efforts to send relief to the territory.

Anwar Abu Hindi, 41, walked for more than four hours from Deir al-Balah to reach her home in Gaza City on Monday. Even though she described the devastation as being “beyond nightmares,” Abu Hindi said her spirits were still lifted by returning home.

“I can feel the atmosphere of my city,” she said.