Palestinians returning to northern Gaza hope to reunite with relatives, whether dead or alive

Following the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Netzarim Corridor, Palestinians are gradually returning to northern Gaza. Thousands are eager to reunite with loved ones, even if only to find their remains for burial. Over the past year, more than 47,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed by Israeli forces, the majority of whom were women and children. It is believed that thousands more are buried under the rubble of buildings destroyed by Israel.

After a ceasefire agreement prompted a halt in fighting and forced Israel to withdraw from northern Gaza, many Palestinians are returning to their homes in the north. Kabeer Rusumi from Beit Lahia told Middle East Eye that she was heading north to find her relatives—whether living or dead. “The north is our heart and soul, the north is the land we lost. We want to embrace this land, the land of our homes, and the land of our lost people,” she said.

“I am going home to see everyone,” Rusumi added, also listing family members she knew had been killed in the war. “Even if they [Israel] destroy it, we want to rebuild; even if they level it, we want to build it again; if our people are gone, we want to compensate them,” Rusumi continued. According to Al Jazeera, at least 5,000 people have been killed or gone missing in northern Gaza, with another 9,500 injured, as a result of what was called “The Generals’ Plan,” a campaign of ethnic cleansing that began in early October last year.

The plan, proposed and pushed by a group of senior Israeli reserve officers, aimed to forcibly expel all residents of northern Gaza, then besiege the area to starve out anyone who remained. The failure of the plan—at least temporarily—has given hope to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza that they will be able to rebuild their past lives. A Middle East Eye journalist in northern Gaza on the Mediterranean coast encountered a young man and his uncle, who were meeting. The young man held a drum in his hand, and his uncle exclaimed, “There is nothing better than this.”

Like many in Gaza, Rusumi lamented her losses, adding that she was “heartbroken” that her loved ones would not be there to welcome her return. She consoled herself by saying, “What we lose in this world, we will find with God... God is with us.” Hannan Thabet, who was heading north to see her 75-year-old mother, said, “We have suffered for a year and four months, but today we will experience another pain... the pain of returning home to find it completely destroyed.”

Thabet continued, “You see our people, today they are both happy and sad, may God make it easier for [the Palestinians], they are a resilient people.” Suad Baker, director of the Al Awda Health and Community Association, told Middle East Eye that her organization was one of the first to respond to the news that displaced people could return to northern Gaza on Monday and has been providing medical assistance. “We know how many obstacles there are on the road for displaced people returning home,” Baker said. In addition to providing direct medical help, the organization is also providing emotional support to those making the arduous trek back north.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 485,000 people in Gaza suffer from “severe or moderate mental health disorders.” The likelihood of inadequate housing could add further emotional stress to those who have survived the war. Satellite images included in a mid-November report by Human Rights Watch show that Israel systematically destroyed buildings and areas it called “security corridors,” including agricultural land, the destruction of which exacerbated an already severe food shortage. Statements by senior officials suggest that forced displacement was a deliberate aspect of Israeli state policy.