Emotionally charged days

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More than 650,000 Palestinians are on their way back to the north.

(Bild: AFP)

More than 650,000 Palestinians are on their way back to the north. People are dreaming of reconstruction.

It is an extremely emotional time for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip as they return home to their shattered homeland. Nevertheless, it is a homecoming that many no longer expected.

The Hamas terror attack on Israel, in which more than 1,200 people were murdered, more than 250 kidnapped and thousands injured on October 7, 2023, began in the north of the Gaza Strip. The war that Hamas triggered with its murderous attack was therefore also concentrated in the north of the Palestinian territory, at least in its initial phase. As a result, more than 650,000 people fled to the somewhat safer south. As part of the ceasefire and the hostage deal, Israel has now allowed them to return.

Will the ceasefire expire again?
Most of them, however, are facing the ruins of their existence. According to UN figures, more than 60 percent of the buildings in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed or damaged. In the north, the figure is as high as 80 percent in some places. But the people are dreaming of rebuilding their homes, although most of them do not know how to finance this. The EU and the Gulf emirate of Qatar will probably have to dig deep into their pockets at some point.

For the time being, however, many people have a completely different concern: they are afraid that the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel could expire after six weeks and the war could start again.