Palestinians returning home killed in Israeli airstrikes in northern Gaza

​​​​​​​By Mohammed Majed​​​​​​​

GAZA (AA) - Palestinians who fled their homes due to Israeli attacks face more airstrikes upon returning to check on their homes in areas where a partial troop withdrawal occurred.

They are being targeted not only by airstrikes but also by Israeli snipers as they attempt to return to displaced areas.

The Senti family, displaced from the Jabalia Refugee Camp, returned home to inspect the damage, believing it was safe after Israeli forces had withdrawn.

Encouraged by the "deceptive calmness" in northern Gaza, they returned but upon arrival, they were targeted by Israeli warplanes.

Israeli bombardments and the proliferation of attack drones in the Gaza Strip hinder ambulance and civilian defense teams from transporting the wounded and bodies to hospitals.

• ‘The occupying Israel showed no mercy’

Ibrahim Senti, who lost 10 family members in Israeli attacks, told Anadolu that while returning to check the damage to their home, his family was directly targeted, resulting in deaths.

"The occupying Israel showed no mercy to them," said Senti.

He noted that the eastern part of the camp was severely bombarded.

"We were displaced from the eastern areas of Jabalia camp due to Israeli attacks, and now we dream of returning to our homes, which the Israeli occupation has largely destroyed."

Witnesses reported that the bombardment and firing caused residents in eastern areas of the Jabalia camp to struggle to reach their homes.

-Anyone trying to reach their home in danger

Another witness said that those attempting to reach their homes were at risk of bombardment or firing from frequent drones in the vicinity.

Other witnesses expressed concerns that Palestinians might be deterred from returning and that Israel might establish buffer zones in the area.

The Israeli army has released videos revealing that all neighborhoods and civilian buildings near the Gaza Strip's border have been bombed.

Israeli media reported that the army is "demolishing some buildings" to establish a "buffer zone on the Gaza border."

John Kirby, strategic communications coordinator for the White House National Security Council, expressed disapproval of Israel's plan to create a "buffer zone" around Gaza and said the US does not support "Gaza's borders narrowed in any way."

The Israeli army's devastating effect on northern Gaza City was evident after its ground invasion and withdrawal from the Strip on Feb. 1, following the withdrawal from Gazan neighborhoods near the border on Oct. 27.

The Israeli army began gradually withdrawing from the northern Gaza Strip in December 2023 and continued in January, withdrawing from certain areas in Gaza City.

*Writing by Gizem Nisa Cebi in Istanbul