Gazans Refuse to Leave Their Homes Despite Israel's Aggression

Despite the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel, many Palestinian families in the North Gaza Strip have refused to abandon their homes. At the beginning of the four-day Gaza ceasefire on Friday, they left makeshift shelters and started the long journey back to their homes.

In Khan Younis, a southern town that has hosted thousands of displaced families, including many from heavily bombarded northern Gaza, the streets were full of people on the move. Despite Israel dropping leaflets warning them of the dangers of going back to an area it described as a dangerous war zone, hundreds of people were heading towards the north.

"We prefer to die here and we will not leave this land," said Hailma Abumarzou, a resident of the afflicted Khan Younis.

According to the United Nations' numbers, around two-thirds of Gaza's 2.3 million residents are homeless, including most of the population of Gaza City and the rest of the northern half of the enclave, reduced to a wasteland by Israel's assault.