Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians from southern Gaza have begun returning to the northern part of the Strip on Monday morning, as shown by images and videos of crowds on Al-Rasheed Street in western Gaza.

Palestinian media shared footage of the displaced heading back to northern Gaza, coinciding with the Israeli army’s withdrawal from the Netzarim area. Before October 7, 2023, northern Gaza was home to over one million people.

Hamas leader Izzat al-Risheq stated that “the return of displaced people to northern Gaza shatters Israel’s dreams of displacing the Palestinian people.”

In a statement, Hamas declared that the return of displaced Palestinians demonstrates Israel’s failure to achieve its goals of forced displacement and breaking Palestinian resilience.

The movement emphasized the people’s steadfastness despite destruction and hardship, urging intensified delivery of aid to all areas of Gaza.

Meanwhile, Israel’s Defense Minister stated, “We will not allow a return to the pre-October 7 reality.”