For the first time after nearly a year-and-a-half, tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians are returning to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip en masse. Photos and overhead drone footage reveal surprisingly large throngs of Gazan families returning to what are likely destroyed homes and communities on foot, sometimes carrying all possessions on their backs. Al Jazeera is capturing many of these scenes, and spoke with some of the returning displaced. “We want to go see our family. I want to see my mother and father. We haven’t seen them for 15 months. It’s a long time,” Ahmad Adas, a young displaced Palestinian, told the outlet. And 19-year old Mohammed Adas described, “I haven’t seen my family for a year and a half. I’ve been waiting for three days to go to my parents. We are tired. I want to go to Gaza City, we’re not coming back here.” The ceasefire has held after two rounds of hostage exchanges, and most of the displaced have been living in crowded and squalid tent camps or schools which have been turned into shelters. “Starting at 7 a.m., Palestinians were allowed to cross on foot without inspection through part of the so-called Netzarim Corridor, a military […]