Palestinians in Khan Younis prepare to return home to northern Gaza

Описание: (28 Jan 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Khan Younis, Gaza - 28 January 2025
1. Various of tents in refugee camp
2. Various of people moving their belongings, getting ready to leave
3. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Fayza al-Nahal, displaced Palestinian:
“Although my husband was martyred and my sons are injured, I’m happy that we’re going back home to our land and our home. Although our home has been destroyed, and we’re going to have to set up tents there, it’s better than having to go from one place to the other. It’s still better for us to be on our land than to live on a land that’s not yours.”
4. Various of people moving their belongings, getting ready to leave
5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ola Saleh, displaced Palestinian:
“Our house has been demolished, the jews (Israelis) bulldozed it. I don’t have a home, but I’m happy that I’m going back. Yes, I will go back to (living in) tents and to rubble, but I still want to go back, this is our homeland and we have to go back. We’re so happy today, we can’t describe how we’re feeling.”
6. Various of tents
7. Boys taking down tent
8. Man digging near tent
9. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Osama Ayesh, displaced Palestinian:
“We are going back to (northern) Gaza, God willing. Our homes are demolished, so we will move from being in tents here to living in tents there. What can we do? There’s no water, there’s no electricity, there’s nothing. We will also face hardships there, but we are relieved and thankful.”
10. Various of people moving their belongings, getting ready to leave
STORYLINE:
Coming out from their tents to gather their belongings, Palestinians who have been living in a vast refugee camp in Khan Younis were ready to take down and move their small shelters.

They were preparing to walk for hours, loaded with whatever clothes, food and blankets they could carry.

The mood in Muwasi refugee camp was joyous, even though many knew their homes had been destroyed in Israeli offensives against Hamas that has levelled large parts of Gaza City and the surrounding north.

The important thing for them was to go back, to prevent what many had feared would be a permanent expulsion from their homes.

Under the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, Palestinians were allowed starting Monday to return north.

U.N. officials estimated that some 200,000 people made their way back over the course of the day.

The scenes of celebration were a sharp contrast to the misery and fear during the war as more than 1 million people fled south on the same routes to escape Israel’s assaults.

Throughout the war, Israel repeatedly ordered civilians to evacuate the north – for their safety, it said – but barred their return.

Under the ceasefire’s terms, Israeli troops pulled back from the main routes to allow returns and are eventually to pull out completely from the corridor.

AP video shot by Mohammad Jahjouh

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