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Palestinians can finally return to their homes in Gaza, where they have been reduced to ruins

TEL AVIV – Burned out buildings reduced to rubble were all that remained for thousands of displaced Palestinians who made the journey back to northern Gaza on foot this week after an absence of more than a year.

“Everything has been destroyed as you can see. There is nothing left,” Asma Qaoud told the NBC News crew on the ground Monday in what was left of the Jabalia refugee camp.

“Everything has been destroyed – our homes and our hearts,” said Qaoud, 32, as she sat in front of a collapsed building surrounded by rubble.

She was one of thousands of displaced Palestinians who made the trek back to northern Gaza after a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect on Sunday, halting a 15-month offensive by Israeli forces in the enclave . In the first days of the ceasefire, the first hostages held by Hamas in Gaza were released, as well as Palestinians held in Israeli custody.

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Asma Qaoud, 32, speaks to NBC on Monday surrounded by ruins in Jabalia, northern Gaza.

According to the United Nations, about 90% of Gaza’s population – nearly 1.9 million people – have been driven from their homes and forced to live in tent camps and other makeshift shelters. The UN previously estimated that about 60% of Gaza’s infrastructure has been destroyed, including schools and hospitals.

Across the enclave, video footage from NBC News showed similar scenes of ash-covered buildings and streets lined with shattered rubble of homes and shops. The Gaza Civil Defense said in a message on Telegram on Tuesday that 66 bodies were recovered from the rubble in Gaza on Monday.

Like many others, the war has cost Qaoud more than just her house.

“My brother was murdered,” she said, explaining to NBC News that she found his body when she returned to the Jabalia refugee camp. Her husband, meanwhile, was still in Israeli custody as she tried to figure out where to sleep and what her next days and weeks would look like.

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More than 47,000 people have been killed in Israel’s offensive in Gaza, according to local health officials, although researchers estimate the death toll is likely significantly higher. Thousands of people are still missing and feared buried under the rubble.

Aid provided to Gaza on January 20, 2025. (NBC News)

A member of the Al-Qassam Brigades leads the aid arriving Monday in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.

Israel launched its offensive after the October 7 Hamas-led terror attacks, which killed around 1,200 people and took 251 hostage. More than 90 people are still being held captive in Gaza. Three women held hostage by Hamas – Doron Steinbrecher, 31, Emily Damari, 28, and Romi Gonen, 24 – were released on Sunday, as celebrations in Israel marked their release.

Meanwhile, displaced Palestinians – who make up most of Gaza’s population – began returning to their neighborhoods and grappling with the consequences of the destruction of much of the enclave’s infrastructure during the war, which also caused a devastating humanitarian crisis in the enclave.

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Civilians return to their homes in Gaza after ceasefire (NBC News)

An officer directs traffic in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on Monday as civilians return to their homes.

In the wake of the ceasefire, hundreds of trucks carrying aid have poured into Gaza, with 600 bringing in relief and commercial goods on Sunday and 900 arriving on Monday, according to UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.

Palestinians continue to return to their homes as ceasefire takes effect in Gaza (Khalil Ramzi Alkahlut / Anadolu via Getty Images)

Displaced Palestinians return to their homes in the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza City on Monday.

Juliette Touma, communications director for UNRWA, told NBC News that it was unclear how many trucks would enter Gaza on Tuesday, but said “significant progress” had been made in getting aid into Gaza, compared to earlier this month when an average of about n 50 trucks were. entered the enclave every day.

“Finally, the ceasefire agreement and the release of hostages in Gaza offer a ray of hope,” António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, said in a statement on Monday urging “the release of all hostages and a permanent ceasefire”. in Gaza.”

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com

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