Thousands of excited Palestinian have embarked on the journey back to the Israeli-established Netzarim Corridor, which bisects the strip following a ceasefire agreement that brought to end the 15 month long war that left many dead.
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They could be seen going on foot with their belongings, cheerful and optimistic of what’s left of the devastation of their homes.
The Israeli military earlier on Monday said it would allow Palestinians to cross via the coastal al-Rashid Street by foot starting at 7am and the central Salah al-Din Street by vehicle from 9am as part of the agreement.
“We saw a change in the mood of everyone. We have never seen people that happy in the past 15 months,” he said.
“People describe this moment as historic. They say it’s as important as the announcement of a ceasefire. For them, this is a victorious day.”
Many of the people returning north were defiant.
“I cannot describe my feelings. It is a festive day for us, as if we have been resurrected and now are entering paradise,” a young displaced man told Al Jazeera.
“I will start rebuilding my home brick by brick, wall by wall,” a displaced Palestinian told Al Jazeera.
“We will start by removing the debris and rebuilding it all over again.”
“I have one message: We the Palestinians are the rightful owners of this land. We will not budge. Our resolve cannot be dented. We sacrificed 50,000 lives and 110,000 wounded over the past 15 months alone. We sacrificed our homes, schools, hospitals and entire infrastructure, but we will not budge.”
Hamas has described the return “a victory” for Palestinians while its ally Palestinian Islamic Jihad said it was a “response to all those who dream of displacing our people”.
According to Al Jazeera in a statement, Hamas said Palestinians returning to areas from which they were forcibly displaced “prove the failure of the occupation to achieve the aggressive goals of displacing people and breaking their steadfast will”.
In the early days of the war, Israel had forcibly evacuated about 1.1 million people from northern Gaza to prepare for a ground invasion.
Israel delayed opening the Netzarim Corridor, originally scheduled over the weekend, over Hamas’s failure to release female Israeli captive Arbel Yehud in Saturday’s exchange.
Hamas accused Israel of violating the ceasefire despite the group informing mediators that Yehud was alive and giving guarantees for her release.
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