GAZA (Palestine Foundation Information Center) In a historic scene that has reflected the Palestinian people’s adherence and loyalty to their land, hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians in Gaza has started crossing the so-called Netzarim corridor in the morning and returning home in the north of the Strip for the first time since Israel’s genocidal war on the coastal enclave began.
Earlier, the Israeli occupation army said that Palestinians would be allowed to cross al-Rashid street by foot starting at 7:00 a.m. and Salahuddin street by vehicle from 9:00 a.m.
This comes after Qatar announced that the Palestinian resistance agreed to release female Israeli captive Arbel Yehud and two others by Friday and provided information on the conditions of those set to be freed in the first phase of the ceasefire deal.
The scene of massive crowds returning home in Gaza on Monday morning is seen as a Palestinian message of steadfastness to all those attempting to forcibly displace them from their land.
Over the past three days, hundreds of thousands of people had gathered on roads near the Netzarim checkpoint waiting anxiously to be allowed to walk home after the Israeli army banned their return at the pretext that Hamas did not release Israeli captive Arbel Yehud.
At dawn Monday, the Hamas Movement announced that an understanding was reached through the mediators to allow the displaced citizens to return to the areas in the north of Wadi Gaza (Gaza valley) as of today morning, January 27.
In a statement, Hamas said that there would be an additional prisoner exchange operation before next Friday for the release three Israeli captives, including Arbel Yehud, adding that three other captives would also be released as scheduled next Saturday.
In another statement, Hamas described the return of its people to northern Gaza as “a victory for our people, and a declaration of failure and defeat for the (Israeli) occupation and transfer plans.”
“The scenes of crowds of our people returning to the areas they were displaced from, where their homes are destroyed, assert the greatness of our people and their steadfastness on their land despite the severity of the pain and tragedy,” Hamas said.
“The return of our displaced people to their homes has vindicated further that the occupation failed to achieve its aggressive goals of displacing our people and breaking their steadfastness,” Hamas added
Hamas called for intensifying the delivery of humanitarian aid to all areas of the Gaza Strip, especially the north.
