Palestinians began returning to the northern Gaza Strip as part of a deal between Israel and the Hamas group under which the Israeli side opened crossings.
Palestinians return to Gaza City
Lots of people followed a road along the coast. They carried their personal belongings in their hands. Ibrahim Abu Hasserah, a returning Gazan, told the media:
“It’s a great feeling when you come home to your family, relatives and loved ones and look around your home – if it’s still a home.”
Ghada, a mother of five children, said:
“No sleep, I’ve already packed everything and I’m ready to hit the road at first light.”
Hamas called the return of Gaza residents a Palestinian victory that demonstrates “the failure and collapse of the occupation and displacement plans.”
Hamas, for its part, will release on Thursday three hostages taken in Israel in October 2023: civilian Arbel Yehud (her release was a condition of return to northern Gaza), soldier Agam Berger and another kidnapped. Three more hostages will be released on February 1.
Under the first phase of the ceasefire, which will last until early March, Hamas must release a total of 33 hostages in exchange for the release of nearly 2,000 Palestinians serving sentences in Israel.
Israel continues offensive in Jenin for 7th day
Over the weekend, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) continued anti-terror raids in Jenin as part of a major operation called Iron Wall.
The operation in Jenin, which has been ongoing for several days, began on Tuesday with the aim of destroying the so-called Jenin Battalion, a new group composed of fighters from several organisations, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
Iron Wall was the IDF’s third major operation in Jenin in less than two years. The city has long been a major stronghold for military groups operating in the territories of Judea and Samaria since the First Intifada.
The raid began shortly after Palestinian Authority security forces left the Jenin refugee camp following their own multi-week operation aimed at regaining control of territory seized by Hamas-linked fighters.
