Around 200,000 Palestinians have returned to northern Gaza following the implementation of a ceasefire, according to the civil defence agency in the besieged territory.
“Approximately 200,000 people returned to northern Gaza today,” said Mahmud Bassal, spokesman for the agency, a rescue force operating in Gaza.
Tens of thousands began moving north after the ceasefire took effect on Friday, anxious to see what remains of their homes and conscious of the immense challenges that lie ahead.
Nearly the entire population of Gaza — some 2.2 million people — has been forcibly displaced by Israel’s two-year military campaign, which began in October 2023 following a cross-border attack by Hamas. The subsequent invasion has led to more than 67,000 deaths and has reduced large swathes of Gaza to rubble. Infrastructure has collapsed, and the humanitarian situation is now among the worst in modern history.
The Israeli military confirmed the truce came into effect at midday local time (0900 GMT) on Friday. Following the announcement, families began walking back along Gaza’s coastal road towards the north as Israeli forces withdrew from several key positions.
Yet even amid the fragile calm, Israel continued to bomb parts of Gaza, including Khan Younis and Gaza City, highlighting the precarious nature of the ceasefire and the lack of genuine respite for civilians.
Genocide Commitments and Systematic Destruction
Over the past two years, international human rights organisations and UN bodies have concluded that Israel is committing acts that constitute genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. These findings are not merely allegations but are built upon extensive documentation of consistent, systematic patterns of violence.
Amnesty International concluded in late 2024 that Israel had committed acts prohibited under the Genocide Convention — including mass killings, infliction of severe physical and psychological harm, and the deliberate creation of life-threatening conditions. The organisation stated there was clear evidence of a policy aimed at destroying the Palestinian population in Gaza, in whole or in part.
Similarly, the United Nations Independent Commission of Inquiry found that Israel had committed four of the five acts legally defined as genocide. Their report documented not only the physical destruction of communities but also efforts to make life unliveable — targeting water systems, electricity, healthcare, and housing. These were not isolated actions but a sustained strategy to eliminate civilian life in Gaza.
Human Rights Watch described Israel’s denial of clean water, medicine, food, and fuel as a core element of genocidal warfare. Combined with the massive scale of air and ground attacks, this has created a deadly and unrelenting environment for Palestinians, with tens of thousands of preventable deaths.
‘Sea of Rubble’ and Survivors’ Return
Despite the destruction, many displaced Palestinians have chosen to return — not to homes, but to ruins. Among them was Ismail Zayda, a 40-year-old father of three, who arrived in Sheikh Radwan on Friday morning to check on his house.
“Thank God, my house is still standing,” he said. “But the area is destroyed, my neighbours’ homes are destroyed — entire districts are gone.”
Others, like Mahdi Saqla, 40, expressed bittersweet relief simply to be near the remains of their homes.
“Of course, there are no houses — they’ve all been destroyed — but we’re happy just to return to the place where our homes once stood, even if it is only rubble,” he said from beside a makeshift tent in central Gaza. “That alone is a great joy.”
Journalists: Silenced and Targeted
While the ceasefire has brought temporary relief to some, it has done little to address the catastrophic toll on Gaza’s journalists, who have been systematically targeted during Israel’s two-year campaign.
According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Israel has killed more than 250 journalists since October 2023 — the highest number of journalists killed in a single conflict in recent memory. This staggering figure includes media workers who were killed while reporting live, in their homes, or even while attempting to evacuate. Entire newsrooms have been reduced to rubble.
One of the latest casualties, photojournalist Arafat al-Khour of Abu Dhabi TV, was wounded while documenting the aftermath of a strike in Gaza City’s Sabra neighbourhood — after the ceasefire had technically begun.
Jonathan Dagher, head of RSF’s Middle East desk, warned that the truce must not distract from the brutal reality on the ground. “The relief of a ceasefire in Gaza must not distract from the catastrophic situation facing journalists. If impunity for these crimes continues, they will be repeated — in Gaza, Palestine, and elsewhere in the world.”
RSF has filed five legal complaints with the International Criminal Court, urging it to investigate Israeli war crimes against the press and to issue arrest warrants for those responsible. The watchdog also criticised the ongoing ban on foreign media entering Gaza, a restriction that remains in place despite the ceasefire.
While the truce allows some humanitarian aid to enter, it makes no provision for international media access or the safe evacuation of Palestinian journalists — many of whom are traumatised, wounded, or at risk.
The deliberate targeting of journalists has not only claimed lives but also pushed Gaza’s media ecosystem to the brink of collapse. Telecommunications infrastructure has been systematically destroyed, severing communication with the outside world and making independent reporting nearly impossible.
“Justice for Gaza’s journalists is the first condition of any lasting solution,” Dagher said. “Without it, the right to information here — and everywhere — remains under threat.”
This Is Not Peace
Despite the official declarations of a ceasefire and the return of displaced residents, the picture on the ground remains one of devastation, loss, and impunity.
“Fine, it’s over – then what? There is no home I can return to,” said Balqees, a mother of five from Gaza City. “They’ve destroyed everything. Tens of thousands are dead, Gaza is in ruins, and they’ve announced a ceasefire. Am I supposed to be happy? No, I’m not.”
The wounds inflicted — on civilians, journalists, and society at large — remain raw. For many Palestinians, the end of violence does not yet signal peace, nor justice.
