DaysofPal – Around 200,000 Palestinians have returned to the northern part of the Gaza Strip since a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian factions took effect on Friday, according to Gaza’s Civil Defense Agency.
“Approximately 200,000 people returned to northern Gaza today,” said agency spokesman Mahmud Basal, noting that many of those returning are finding their neighborhoods in ruins and streets littered with debris and bodies.
Basal warned that “dozens of dead remain under the rubble and in the streets,” explaining that the continued presence of Israeli forces in parts of Gaza City is hampering the work of rescue teams.
“Our teams face enormous difficulties reaching some areas due to the destruction and the lack of necessary equipment,” he said.
The ceasefire agreement, reached between the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and all Palestinian resistance factions on one side and Israel on the other, went into effect at 12:00 noon on Friday (Jerusalem time), coinciding with the Israeli army’s partial withdrawal to the so-called Yellow Line inside the Gaza Strip.
The withdrawal reportedly included Gaza City in the north, except for the Shuja’iyya neighborhood, as well as western and central Khan Yunis in the south. However, the Israeli army has continued to block Palestinian access to several key areas, including Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahia in the north, the Rafah crossing and the Philadelphi corridor in the south, and areas east of Khan Yunis and along the coastal strip.
The developments come as Gaza endures an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe. Nearly all vital infrastructure has been destroyed, including hospitals, civil defense centers, and water and power networks.
Rescue teams are struggling with severe shortages of fuel and heavy equipment, making the process of recovering bodies and rescuing those trapped under rubble “an arduous effort that can take days,” Basal said.
He added that “our work sites in areas from which the occupation forces have withdrawn are completely destroyed, complicating recovery and relief operations.”
Under the terms of the ceasefire, all humanitarian aid is to be allowed immediate entry and free distribution across the Gaza Strip. The agreement, based on the January 19, 2025, accord, stipulates the entry of 600 aid trucks daily, aimed at easing Gaza’s crippling humanitarian crisis after months of devastation.
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