Huge crowds await return to northern Gaza after delays

Thousands of displaced Palestinians attempting to return to northern Gaza gathered at Israeli military barriers, only to be blocked from passage. Footage from the scene showed large crowds waiting at the Netzarim Corridor, a passage that separates northern and southern Gaza and is controlled by the Israeli military.

Israel had planned to withdraw its forces from the area this weekend, but they remain stationed due to government accusations that Hamas violated the ceasefire agreement. Israel stated that they will continue to block access to northern Gaza because a female civilian hostage, Albel Yehud, was not released on Saturday. Hamas responded that they had provided proof that Yehud is still alive and stated she would be released next weekend.

On Saturday, Hamas released four Israeli female soldiers who had been held since October 7, 2023, in exchange for 200 Palestinian prisoners. According to the original plan, the non-military hostage Yehud was supposed to be released first. Mediators from Egypt and Doha are holding meetings regarding the safe return of displaced Palestinians to their homes in the north, but a senior Palestinian official told the BBC that the process remains stalled.

Some chaotic scenes unfolded on Saturday evening as some Palestinians, who had assumed they could move north after the hostage release, found the roads still blocked by Israeli tanks. As crowds gathered on the Rashid Road in central Gaza to head home, reports of gunfire emerged. A video posted online showed people in panic, and four gunshots could be heard; the BBC verified that the video was taken on that road.

According to Reuters, citing the Hamas-run health ministry and Palestinian media, one person died and several were injured. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that forces in central Gaza fired after spotting "several gatherings of dozens of suspects who posed a threat to the forces." The statement also said: “Contrary to reports that have emerged in recent hours, all firing in the area was to disperse the crowds, and not to harm. We emphasize that, so far, no known suspects have been injured by the shooting.”

Earlier on Saturday, Mohammed Emad al-Din was one of thousands waiting to return to their homes in northern Gaza. “I know my house may be destroyed, but I will set up a tent on the rubble. I just want to go back,” he told the BBC by phone. “I need to get back to my work. I am a barber in Gaza, and I have been trying to figure out how to fix my salon and restart my business. I owe a lot of people money, and I cannot afford the simplest things for my children,” he added. “I just hope the dispute between Hamas and Israel ends, and that we are allowed to move back to our homes in the north. We have not seen our loved ones for more than 15 months.”

Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, Palestinians were supposed to be allowed to travel north through the Netzarim Corridor, a 7-kilometer (4.3-mile) strip of land controlled by Israel that separates northern Gaza from the rest of the territory. Lubna Nasser, with her two daughters and son, sat on a donkey cart, hoping to return home and reunite with her husband Sultan, whom she had not seen for 11 months. “I will stay here as close as possible to the Israeli checkpoint. For months, my daughters have been waiting for the moment they will see their father. I want to be among the first people to return to Gaza,” she said on Saturday afternoon.

Mediators from Qatar and Egypt have been working to facilitate talks between Israel and Hamas to allow hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to return to the north. Israel had asked mediators for proof from Hamas that Yehud was still alive, and the BBC understands that Egypt appears to have received that proof on Saturday night. Meanwhile, many Gazans are anxiously waiting for any breakthrough that might allow them to return.

For many, the hope of returning outweighs the reality that awaits them: rubble and destruction. However, the dream of resuming their lives, rebuilding their homes, and reuniting with their families is sustaining their spirits.