Israel on Monday allowed thousands of Palestinians to return to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip. The decision came after Hamas agreed to Israel’s demands to release six hostages in two batches in this week itself. Two of the hostages scheduled to be released included civilian woman Arbel Yehoud and a woman IDF soldier Agam Berger.
After Israel’s permission, the IDF allowed thousands of Gaza residents to march on foot to north Gaza without inspection from the Israeli forces, said a report in Times of Israel. The Palestinians were allowed to travel through the so-called Netzarim corridor which cuts off north and the south Gaza.
Israel set up the Netzarim corridor in the early days of the war to prevent movement of Hamas fighters from north to south or vice-versa. Photos and videos show a swarm of Palestinians moving on foot through the corridor along the coast.
As per the agreed Israel-Hamas deal, people on the foot won’t be search by IDF forces, while movement through vehicles would be inspected by the IDF. Despite knowing fully well that their homes have been ravaged in the war, the displaced Gaza residents, who had been sheltering in the tents for over a year, looked eager to move to their homes
Over 45,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed by relentless Israeli bombardment for more than a year. Israel attacked Gaza Strip after October 7, 2023 surprise attack by Hamas fighters who killed at least 1200 Israelis most of were soldiers.
According to Israel’s Channel 13, US monitors will man the checkpoint on the Netzarim corridor to prevent movement of Hamas fighters and weapons to the north. The Times of Israel also reported that private security contractors from US will inspect vehicles of Gazans moving to the north of the strip.
