Half a million Palestinians return to Gaza City

Immediately following the beginning of ceasefire, hundreds of thousands of Gaza City residents returned to the northern Gaza Strip.

By World Israel News Staff

Following the implementation of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip on Friday, roughly half of the residents evacuated from Gaza City and the northern Gaza Strip have returned, according to a senior Hamas official.

Beginning in late August, Israel organized the mass evacuation of residents of Gaza City and nearby towns in northern Gaza in preparation for the takeover of the city.

By early October, the IDF estimated that more than 900,000 Gazans had left the northern Strip, with about 200,000 believed to still be in the area.

However, the movement of Gazans from north to south halted and later reversed after the ceasefire agreement with Israel was announced.

Thousands of Gazans gathered along the Strip’s coastal road Thursday and Friday, preparing to return north in anticipation of the truce.

The IDF warned Gazans not to return before the implementation of the ceasefire, barring all movement northwards towards Gaza City.

At 1:00 p.m. on Friday the truce went into effect and travel restrictions were lifted, leading to a flood of Gazans northward, including many residents anxious to see whether their homes remained intact.

According to a statement issued on Saturday by Mahmud Bassal, a spokesman for the Hamas-run Gaza civil defense authority, over 500,000 Gazans have returned north since 1:00 p.m. Friday.

“More than half a million people have returned to Gaza City since yesterday,” Bassal said.

Not all of northern Gaza has been cleared for residents to return.

While the IDF withdrew from most of Gaza City, some eastern neighborhoods remain under IDF control, along with some of the surrounding towns, including Beit Hanoun.

Under phase one of the Gaza deal, the IDF retains control over slightly more than half of the Gaza Strip.