By Wesam Bahrani 

Triumphant return to the north

January 28, 2025 - 22:9
Palestinians flood Gaza roads to return home 

TEHRAN – Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have returned home to northern Gaza, marking yet another victory against the occupying regime of Israel.

Families who had been displaced countless times made the journey on foot, crossing the Israeli-built Netzarim corridor that had divided the northern enclave from the south for more than a year.

The Israeli military was forced to clear the way, allowing Palestinian families to pass through the corridor. This retreat marked another significant Israeli concession, as the resilience of the returning families could no longer be denied.

Northern Gaza had been the most heavily attacked region throughout the U.S.-backed genocidal Israeli war, suffering relentless daily bombardment and destruction. 

Since October of last year, much of the region had been cut off, with its remaining residents enduring extreme hardships in total isolation. 

Amidst the regime’s war crimes, including the use of starvation as a weapon of war, Israeli politicians were openly discussing the process of reestablishing illegal settlements in the region, fueling debates over the future of the Palestinian territory.

The lengthy siege and Israeli political rhetoric surrounding the return of settlements only heightened the sense of urgency among the Palestinian people, who continue to fight for their right to return to their land and rebuild their communities despite the overwhelming obstacles they face.

Speaking to journalists on the ground, Palestinians said that even if they are returning to nothing more than rubble, they would set up tents on whatever remained of their homes. 

Their determination to rebuild, even in the face of such devastation, is a powerful testament to the unwavering Palestinian commitment to their land.

Experts have highlighted how armed resistance is rooted in the resilience and determination of the people first. Without the sustained will of the Palestinian population to resist occupation, there would be no armed struggle. 

In Gaza, it has always been the strength and unity of the people that has driven such resistance, with armed resistance arising only when peaceful means are no longer enough to protect families from aggression. 

Coincidentally, the same is happening with civilians returning to their homes on the southern Lebanese border. 

It marks another defeat for the Israeli occupation regime, as the Palestinian people’s steadfastness continues. After nearly 16 months of suffering and unimaginable horror, they still strongly support the armed resistance in Gaza and refuse to give up.

This was also evident in Tel Aviv. Israeli media headlines read “Images of Masses Returning to Northern Gaza Shatter [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s ‘Total Victory Illusion’”. 

In a social media post, the former Israeli cabinet minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, who resigned over the Gaza ceasefire agreement, echoed those words, saying, “This is not what ‘total victory’ looks like - this is what total surrender looks like”. 

The Israeli Knesset member called the return of displaced Palestinians “another humiliating chapter” in Gaza, condemning it as part of what he labeled the “reckless” Gaza deal. Ben Gvir added that the development further exposed the Israeli failures under the ceasefire plan and undermined Israeli authority in the enclave.