Israel-Hamas war, Gaza genocide

[SvennoJ]

Reporter talks to Palestinians arriving in north Gaza

Al Jazeera’s Moath al-Kahlout has been speaking to forcibly displaced Palestinians who’ve been allowed back into north Gaza for the first time since Israel’s war began.

‘The joy of return’: Palestinians recall 1948 as they walk back home

Ismail Abu Matter, a father of four who waited for three days before crossing into northern Gaza with his family, described scenes of jubilation on the other side with people singing, praying and crying as they reunited with relatives.

“It’s the joy of return,” said Abu Matter, whose family was 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.”

Hamas said the return is “a victory for our people and a declaration of failure and defeat for the [Israeli] occupation and transfer plans”.

_{Displaced Palestinians return to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip}

‘Historic, symbolic moment’ for the Palestinians

Al Jazeera journalist Tamer Almisshal says the jubilant scenes from Gaza of tens of thousands of Palestinians returning home to the north show their determination to survive under the 15-month onslaught by Israel’s military.

“It’s a significant and historic moment for the Palestinians because it’s the first time since 1948 those who have been forced out of their homes and land managed to get back – despite the destruction and despite the genocide,” he said.

He quoted one Palestinian man who returned as saying he’ll erect a tent on his destroyed home, “which is much better than being forcibly displaced from Gaza”.

As for the ceasefire, Almisshal noted Hamas recently said 18 more Israeli captives are alive and will be returned each Saturday in exchange for Palestinian prisoners over the next few weeks. He said the next main step is to get the Rafah land crossing opened so aid can flow in and thousands of badly wounded Palestinians can get medical treatment abroad.


_{Palestinians flee a village in the Galilee after the creation of the state of Israel in 1948}