Israel says northern Gaza is out of reach as displaced Palestinians try to take advantage of a break in fighting to return home.
Large numbers of displaced people were trying to return home across Gaza as the four-day truce brokered by Qatar came into effect Friday morning. However, Israel warned the population that they would not be allowed to enter the north of the war-torn enclave.
Videos obtained by Tel Aviv Tribune show Palestinians returning home to Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip, despite the Israeli military’s insistence that it is a combat zone.
At least two Palestinians were reportedly killed by the Israeli army, and 11 others injured, as they tried to reach northern Gaza.
The Israeli military said it expected Hamas to try to encourage or push civilians to return to the northern part of the Gaza Strip and was prepared to prevent this from happening. Tel Aviv Tribune’s Mohammed Jamjoom reported from occupied East Jerusalem.
Israel dropped leaflets over southern Gaza, warning hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians seeking refuge there not to return to the north amid its ground offensive, the Associated Press reported.
Still, hundreds of people could be seen Friday marching north.
Citing witnesses, the Palestinian Wafa news agency said seven people were injured by Israeli forces as they tried to cross into northern Gaza.
Several were injured and taken to hospitals in the south of the territory, Tel Aviv Tribune’s Tareq Abu Azzoum reported from Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
Two were shot dead by Israeli troops and 11 others were injured in the legs. An AP reporter reported seeing two bodies and injured people as they arrived at the hospital.
An Israeli military spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, issued a statement in Arabic on X.
“Residents of Gaza, the movement of the population from the south of the Strip to the north will not be permitted under any circumstances, but only from the north to the south,” it reads.
“We urge you not to approach military forces and areas north of the Gaza Valley. Take advantage of the time to replenish your needs and organize your belongings,” he said.
“The area to the north of the Gaza Strip is a combat zone and it is forbidden to stay there. The war is not over and we urge you to obey the teachings and warnings for your safety,” Adraee added.
‘Everything is broken’
Many people have no homes to return to after seven weeks of Israeli bombings and ground invasions that began on October 7.
Ashraf Shann, a Gaza resident, told Tel Aviv Tribune he had mixed feelings about the truce.
“I have nowhere to return even if (the Israelis) allow us to return to Gaza City. My house was bombed and completely destroyed on the third day of the war,” he said.
“At the same time, I am happy for the people whose loved ones have disappeared. At least they can go pick up the pieces and try to find them again.
Zak Hania, a displaced Palestinian who fled the Shati refugee camp, said “everything is broken in Gaza.”
“We don’t know whether to be happy or sad. Our homes are broken, our hearts are broken, everything is broken in Gaza now. We don’t know how life will continue after this,” he told Tel Aviv Tribune from the southern town of Khan Younis.
Asked if he planned to return home during the truce, Hania replied: “We can’t go because the Israeli army has said that no one is allowed to return to the north and that people are afraid and hesitant to go there.
“I think it is dangerous to go back because they are still on the road between the north and south of Gaza… We are not sure of anything and we are just praying that the ceasefire is respected” , did he declare.
Resumption of the imminent war
Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Khan Younis in southern Gaza, said the imminent fact that the war would resume in a few days was a huge disappointment for the population.
“There is a feeling of happiness, a feeling of optimism, but it is a cautious optimism because after 48 days of airstrikes and incessant killings, many Palestinians have been surrounded by destruction and blood, and the bodies of their loved ones and family members have been found. “, said Mahmoud.
“The ceasefire comes when people want to take a moment to just check on each other and check on their homes and belongings,” he said.
“There is also the imminent fact that the war will resume in a few days, according to Israeli officials,” Mahmoud said.
“This statement has been very devastating and depressing for many Palestinians who believe this ceasefire is incomplete and unjust, because they want to go check their homes and see who of their family members are left,” he said. he declares.
The Israeli war has killed more than 14,800 people in Gaza since October 7. In Israel, the official death toll from Hamas attacks before the war is around 1,200 people.
