Tens of thousands of forcibly displaced Palestinians are making their way back to the ruins of northern Gaza, as Israeli forces begin a partial withdrawal under phase one of the ceasefire plan with Hamas.

For many, this marks a painful yet hopeful return to what remains of their homes after months of relentless bombardment.

Along Gaza’s al-Rashid Street, scenes of heartbreak and resilience unfold — families walking for miles, children clutching their few remaining possessions, elderly men and women leaning on one another as they make their way north.

Once a route of desperate escape, the road has now become a pathway of return.

With the Netzarim Corridor reopened, people are pushing forward through the devastation, carrying their belongings on donkey carts, in vans, and sometimes on their backs.

“Families are dismantling their makeshift tents to rebuild them over the ruins of their destroyed homes,” reported Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum from Al Nuseirat.

The destruction in Gaza City is near total — neighborhoods flattened, infrastructure gone, and shelters desperately needed.

Despite the ceasefire, the humanitarian crisis remains overwhelming.

Aid agencies warn of urgent needs for food, clean water, medical supplies, and temporary housing as families attempt to reclaim what little remains of their lives.

Since October 2023, Israel’s war on Gaza has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians and wounded nearly 170,000, most of them women and children.

Amid the rubble, the return of displaced families is a powerful symbol — not only of survival, but of a people’s unbreakable will to return home, to rebuild, and to live with dignity once more.