Thousands of displaced Palestinians marched north from southern Gaza, many on foot, toward what remains of their homes after months of relentless bombardment by the Israeli regime.
A few managed to travel in battered vehicles or on animal-drawn carts, bicycles, and motorcycles, braving the wrecked roads and fuel shortages that have crippled the enclave.
Simultaneously, residents returned to parts of central Gaza and the eastern districts of Khan Younis in the south following the regime’s partial withdrawal.
Many of the displaced were forced to pitch makeshift tents on the ruins of their former houses, the landscape around them reduced to rubble by the Israeli military’s months-long offensive.
The withdrawal reportedly took place in line with US President Donald Trump’s plan, which envisions a phased pullback of Israeli forces.
Troops withdrew from Gaza City except for the Shejaiya neighborhood and parts of Al-Tuffah and Zeitoun, as well as sections of Khan Younis.
Palestinians were still barred from entering Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahia in the north, areas left in ruins.
The Gaza Government Media Office said on Saturday that more than 5,000 humanitarian, medical, rescue, and relief missions had been carried out across the besieged territory within 24 hours, underscoring the vast scale of suffering left in the wake of the regime’s attacks.
Trump announced earlier in the week that the Israeli regime and Hamas had agreed to the first phase of a 20-point plan that includes a ceasefire, the release of Israeli captives in exchange for around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, and a gradual withdrawal of occupation forces from Gaza.
The first phase took effect at noon Friday (0900 GMT).
Since October 2023, the Israeli regime’s military campaign has killed nearly 67,200 Palestinians — most of them women and children — and left the Gaza Strip largely uninhabitable.