DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — For Palestinians in central and southern Gaza hoping to return to what remains of their homes in the war-battered north, the terms of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas has forced an agonizing wait.
The agreement allows Palestinian civilians in the south to take the coastal Rashid road to northern Gaza starting on Saturday, when Israeli troops are expected to withdraw from the key route and Hamas is set to release four Israeli hostages in exchange for dozens of Palestinian prisoners.
After 15 months of Israel’s invasion and bombardment of the Gaza Strip, residents will enjoy more freedom of movement from the north to the south of the enclave.
As Palestinians in other parts of the strip reunite with scattered family members, pick their way through vast swaths of rubble and try to salvage what remains of their homes and their belongings, people seeking to return to the north have in limbo, their hopes and worries building.
“The first thing I’ll do, I’ll kiss the dirt of the land on which I was born and raised,” said Nadia Al-Debs, one of the many people gathered in makeshift tents in Gaza’s central city of Deir al-Balah preparing to set out for home in Gaza City the next day. “We’ll return so my children can see their father.”
Nafouz al-Rabai, displaced from the urban al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, said the day she gets home will be a “day of joy for us.”
But she acknowledged it would be painful to absorb the scale of damage to the home and the coastal area she knew and loved.
“God knows if I’ll find (my house) standing or not,” she said. “It’s a very bad life.”
