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‘Day of victory,’ says Palestinian returnee to north Gaza
A forcibly displaced Palestinian man returning to northern Gaza has pledged to build back up what Israeli forces tore down.
“I will start rebuilding my home – brick by brick, wall by wall,” he told Al Jazeera. “We will start by removing the debris and rebuild it all over again.”
The man said it was a day of victory despite all the losses, grief, and destruction.
“After 15 months of suffering as Palestinians, as Gazans, namely as residents of Shujayea refugee camp, this is a day of joy. Although our homes have been destroyed flat into the earth, the entire north has been turned into scorched earth. Despite our pain, our grief, the destruction – this is a day of victory.”
Israel’s Ben-Gvir slams return of Palestinians to north Gaza
Itamar Ben-Gvir, the Israeli former national security minister, who is known for his incendiary remarks against Palestinians, has decried the return of the displaced to northern Gaza as a victory for Hamas.
He wrote in a post on X:
“The opening of the Netzarim highway this morning and the entry of tens of thousands of Gazans into the northern Gaza Strip are images of Hamas’s victory and another humiliating part of the reckless deal. This is not what ‘complete victory’ looks like – this is what complete surrender looks like.
“The heroic [Israeli] soldiers did not fight and give their lives in the Gaza Strip to make these photos possible. We must return to war – and destroy!”
Ben-Gvir, who resigned his post earlier this month in protest of the ceasefire deal, has long been opposed to ending the war and has called for Israel to occupy Gaza.
‘A very important day in how to approach the conflict’: Hamas official
As thousands of Palestinians are heading home to northern Gaza after 15 months of forced displacement by the Israeli military, a senior Hamas official has described today as “the most important day in the current history of this conflict”.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Basem Naim argued that Israel was “for the first time” obliged to allow Palestinians to return to their houses after being forced “by the resistance”, in a similar way that it was “forced to release” Palestinian prisoners.
“This is, I think, a very symbolic day,” he added. “This is a very important day in how to approach this conflict with the Israelis, which language they understand.”
Naim also reiterated Hamas’s commitment to the ceasefire agreement and said the group was “ready to do the maximum to give this deal a chance to succeed”.
He accused Netanyahu and the Israeli government of playing “dirty games” to “sabotage the deal” but added: “We will not give him any excuse, but we will try with the mediators to avoid any obstacle.”
Naim also said he expected the next round of negotiations, which is due to start on the 16th day of the first phase of the agreement, to be “very difficult” and “complicated”.
‘We are going to rebuild our homes brick by brick, wall by wall’
Al Jazeera has spoken to another displaced Palestinian heading back to his hometown of Beit Hanoon in northern Gaza.
The man described today’s scenes as “memorable” and a mix of “grief with joy”.
“I am returning home, I know my home has been flattened, I am grieving the loved ones I lost but we are telling the whole world: We are holding steadfast to our home soil, to our homeland,” he said from the coastal al-Rashid Street.
“We are going to rebuild our homes brick by brick, wall by wall and we will relive all the sweet memories we had in the past.”
The returnee said he expected the coming days to be “difficult” but expressed hope that peace would prevail and there would be no more war.
“And that the people will lend us a helping hand, start the rebuilding process, and we will be able to resume our normal way of life and bring our children back to school.”
