'My home is no longer there': Palestinians return to north Gaza

Sabreen Zanon, 44, expressed mixed emotions upon returning to her home in a wealthy neighborhood in northern Gaza. "We are happy to see our family again... (but) it is also very sad to see the destroyed houses and rubble, and you can't help but want to cry," she told the BBC. "This place used to attract people to walk around because of the beautiful scenery. Now, most of it is in ruins."

Sabreen is one of hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians who returned to their homes (or the sites of their homes) in northern Gaza on Monday. This mass return occurred a week after a ceasefire agreement was reached between Israel and Hamas, intended to permanently end the war that began more than 15 months ago. Like other residents of Gaza, she was displaced multiple times during the war, most recently in the central city of Deir al-Balah.

She joined the "human tide" trekking along the coastal Rashid Street, a route opened to displaced Gazans early Monday morning. A security official in Gaza told AFP that in two hours, more than 200,000 people walked across the northern part of the strip. Palestinians were interviewed by the BBC during their journey.

"The journey was too long and too tiring," said Israa Shaheen, 24, shortly after arriving in Gaza City. "People were happy before being in the middle of the road, singing and stuff, but then they started to feel frustrated because it was too long. Then we saw a sign that said 'Welcome to Gaza' and many Palestinian flags, and people started to feel happy again." Others drove along different routes to get there.

"There are thousands and thousands of people here. They are filling the whole road... we are very happy, but I also feel sad because I know I will arrive in Gaza City, but my home is not there," said Wafa Hassuna, 42, by phone as she approached a checkpoint. Upon reaching their destinations, people were shocked by what remained of their communities. Barber Mohammed Imad al-Din, who had been waiting at the checkpoint, returned to find his home destroyed and his barber shop looted and vandalized by nearby Israeli strikes.

Lubna Nasser and her two daughters and son had been waiting to reunite with her husband. But while he survived, their home did not. "The warmth of the reunion is overshadowed by the harsh reality – we no longer have a home, so we have moved from a tent in the south to a tent in the north," she said. Others are still waiting to make the journey home or deciding on their next steps.

One man said that if it weren't for his pregnant wife and young daughter, he would have "run to the north like it was a race." Instead, they are hoping the crowds will disperse before slowly beginning their journey home. He said they expect to find most of their neighborhood leveled. "We hope this war ends, and we will rebuild all that was destroyed," he said. Another man said his brother told him not to return for the time being. "He called and said... the houses are all leveled. People are sleeping in the streets, and no one is helping them."

In the wealthy neighborhood of Tel al-Hawa, Sabreen said she was grateful to be back with her family and to be back in a house that was still standing. "Most of this place is ruins and destruction. Anyone who finds that their house is still standing, even if it is only one room, should feel very lucky," she said.