Palestinians displaced from northern Gaza endure wait as ceasefire offers little relief

AP , Friday 24 Jan 2025

Displaced Palestinians are facing an agonizing wait to return to their homes in northern Gaza, as a fragile ceasefire in the Israeli war on Gaza offers little relief from the worsening conditions in overcrowded camps, where heavy winter rains have only deepened their suffering.

Gaza
Samira Deifallah, 52, displaced from Gaza city, sits outside her tent after a night of heavy rainfall at a tent camp for displaced Palestinians in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip. AP

 

Under the agreement, civilians in southern Gaza will be allowed to take the coastal Rashid road to the north starting Saturday, when Israeli forces are expected to withdraw from the key route. Hamas is also set to release four Israeli captives in exchange for dozens of Palestinian prisoners. But after 15 months of Israeli invasion and bombardment, northern Gaza remains a wasteland of rubble, leaving those hoping to return caught between hope and fear.

“I’ll kiss the dirt of the land on which I was born and raised,” said Nadia Al-Debs, who has been living in a tent in Deir al-Balah, preparing to head back to her home in Gaza City. “We’ll return so my children can see their father.”

For Nafouz al-Rabai, who was displaced from the al-Shati refugee camp, the journey home is bittersweet. “The day I get back will be a day of joy for us,” she said. “But God knows if I’ll find my house standing or not.”

Although the ceasefire has brought a brief respite from bombardment and allowed humanitarian aid to flow into the enclave, it has done little to ease the suffering of the 2 million people displaced by the 15-month Israeli war in the Gaza Strip. The onset of winter has compounded the misery, with torrential rains flooding makeshift camps.

In Deir al-Balah, heavy rain flooded the tents, turning the ground into a swamp. Families used sandbags to protect their shelters, while barefoot children walked through the muddy paths, their clothes soaked as they made their way through the water.

Nafouz al-Rabai, displaced from the urban al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, said the day she gets home will be a “day of joy for us.” But she acknowledged it would be painful to absorb the scale of damage to the home and the coastal area she knew and loved.

“God knows if I’ll find (my house) standing or not,” she said. “It’s a very bad life,” she said.

Even for those able to return north, the devastation awaiting them has left little to celebrate. Many found only ruins where their homes once stood, a stark reminder of the long road to recovery ahead.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online.

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