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1 of 2 | Displaced Palestinians be a typical greeting dream to commencement nan Eid festival, marking nan extremity of nan beatified period of Ramadan, astatine a school-turned-shelter successful Rafah, confederate Gaza Strip, connected Wednesday, April 10, 2024, amid nan ongoing conflict betwixt Israel and Palestinian militants successful Gaza. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI | License Photo
April 14 (UPI) -- Thousands of Palestinians, including men, women, children, and aged people, reportedly came nether occurrence Sunday while returning to their homes successful bluish Gaza, galore of them displaced since Hamas attacked Israel connected Oct. 7th, 2023, prompting nan latest section of nan decades-long war.
"I americium going home. I person been displaced for six months. We unrecorded successful a shelter because our location was struck," a young boy named Omar Al-Dahdouh said, while traversing nan coastal roadworthy of Al Rasheed, carrying a container of flour connected his shoulder, and holding his younger sibling's hand, sobbing arsenic he walked.
"I americium not afraid. If I must die, I will die, but I don't want to unrecorded this anymore. I want to spell home, I'm tired. My siblings request to live," he continued.
CNN video show families stepping pinch their belongings, immoderate riding bicycles, donkey carts and pick-up trucks, smiling and snapping photographs.
"I'm going to Gaza City. It's enough. We request to spell backmost to our homes and lands. We are tired of displacement... we heard group saying we tin spell back, but nary 1 charismatic told us. We'll time off it to God," Majd El-Aqqad said.
This is nan first clip warfare regfugees person began headingback to Gaza successful sich ample numbers. Some of nan travelers said tney heard nan Israeli subject was allowing women and children to return, and others said their relatives were allowed to transverse over.
The Istaeli Defense Force said nan reports were false.
"The bluish Gaza Strip continues to beryllium an progressive warfare area and return to nan area is not presently permitted," IDF said.
In nan video changeable for CNN, an aged female named Um Mohammad walks on Al Rasheed carrying a dense container connected her caput and 2 others successful her arms, trying to return home.
She cried and praed for God to protect them.
"I don't cognize thing astir my house. It's our location and our land. The Israelis displaced america and humiliated us," she said.
"We are tired here. We person been displaced for 191 days," Malak Abu Nada, a female from Jabalya, told CNN.
Many of nan group who attempted to caput northbound had been gone to Rafah, wherever Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been threatening to motorboat an violative that nan UN said would lead to a "humanitarian catastrophe."
The Gaza Ministry of Health reported connected Sunday that nan toll successful nan Gaza Strip since October 7 has risen to 33,729 dormant and 76,371 group injured.
Ahmad Ramadan told CNN he had tried to recreation northbound connected Al Rasheed but was turned backmost by Israeli soldiers because he is simply a man.
"We heard nan roadworthy was unfastened to Gaza City, truthful we thought we'd go," Um Awni Al-Jarousha told CNN. "When they saw men pinch us, they started shooting astatine us. We are tired and humiliated."
CNN video shows group turning around, heading southbound pinch nan sound of drones and planes overhead. Missiles are seen successful nan region while group tally successful panic.
"We reached each nan measurement to nan checkpoint until we saw Israeli tanks. We headed backmost because they fired towards us. We didn't spot anyone make it to nan different side. We risked our children's lives to cross, but apparently it was each a lie," 1 female said.
