Mohammad Abu Don
28 January 2025•Update: 28 January 2025
GAZA CITY, Palestine
Massive destruction has greeted hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians returning to northern Gaza under a ceasefire agreement with Israel.
“There are no basic necessities of life in northern Gaza,” Haitham Enseiw, who returned to the town of Beit Hanoun, told Anadolu on Tuesday.
“Palestinians decided to return despite the lack of basic necessities of life because they are the owners of the land and consider their presence here a victory over the (Israeli) occupation.”
More than 300,000 displaced civilians returned to northern Gaza since Monday under the ceasefire deal that halted Israel’s genocidal war on the Palestinian enclave.
The joy of the returnees, however, was marred by the tough living conditions in the area, which had been laid to waste by 15 months of Israel's aerial and ground attacks.
Most returnees say there is no source of water in the area, let alone the lack of empty spaces to set up shelter tents on their land due to the rubble of destroyed homes.
Enseiw said his 15-member family set up a tent near the rubble of their destroyed house and lived there despite the absence of all means of livelihood.
On a daily basis, his family is forced to transport water on a donkey cart from a distance of more than 10 kilometers (6.2 miles).
“We hope local authorities will work as soon as possible to provide the necessities of life for those returning to northern Gaza, especially water, which is our lifeblood,” he said.
On Saturday, Gaza’s Ministry of Social Development called on the returning civilians to bring their tents with them amid a lack of sufficient tents in the north.
The ministry also called for piling pressure on Israel to allow access to tents to secure housing for the returning civilians.
Shared suffering
In the Jabalia refugee camp, the Najjar family also set up a tent near their destroyed home.
"Everything is difficult, we have nothing to live,” Majida Najjar, a Palestinian mother, told Anadolu.
“We came back to northern Gaza because there is no other alternative,” she said.
“There are no sewage networks, no water, no bedding, no blankets, no food, and no other necessities of life.”
The Palestinian woman said she was optimistic about their return after the ceasefire.
“We hoped that temporary homes or tents would be brought in, but unfortunately nothing happened.”
She said her family members walk for long distances to bring water for their daily needs.
"We hope that all the requirements for our people in Gaza will be provided soon so that they can continue living and defeat the (Israeli) occupation through their steadfastness."
Gaza’s government media office appealed to the international community and aid agencies on Monday to provide Palestinians with basic needs and shelters following the ceasefire.
The Gaza ceasefire agreement took effect on Jan. 19, suspending Israel’s genocidal war that has killed more than 47,300 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and injured more than 111,400 since Oct. 7, 2023.
The ceasefire agreement also stipulates the entry of some 600 aid trucks into Gaza on a daily basis.
The Israeli onslaught has left more than 11,000 people missing, with widespread destruction and a humanitarian crisis that has claimed the lives of many elderly people and children in one of the worst global humanitarian disasters ever.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November last year for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
*Writing by Ahmed Asmar
