A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Today, tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza are returning home for the first time in more than a year.
LEILA FADEL, BYLINE: This march home to Gaza City and other places in the north is a huge moment for families who've been displaced in the war. It comes after Hamas and Israel agreed last night to an additional exchange of hostages and prisoners and detainees with more people expected to be freed in the coming days.
MARTÍNEZ: We're joined now by international correspondent Aya Batrawy who's been following this closely from Dubai. So let's start with the people returning to Gaza City this morning. Take us back to why they were displaced at all.
AYA BATRAWY, BYLINE: Hi, A. Yeah. I mean, look, a few days after Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7 of 2023, Israel ordered Palestinians to leave their homes in Gaza City and the north. And so more than a million people heeded those orders, leaving with just a few belongings, and many never imagined it would be 16 months of displacement. And during the war, Israeli forces carved out this miles-wide corridor isolating Gaza City and the north from the rest of the territory. But today, troops partly withdrew, allowing people to return, and this is a direct result of complex talks happening regarding the release of hostages and prisoners in the ceasefire.
And so, A, for the first time since I've been reporting on this war, I could hear a level of joy in Gaza I have not heard before. And you can hear an NPR producer Anas Baba's voice. I reached him by phone as he was walking among huge crowds back to his home in Gaza City. Have a listen.
ANAS BABA, BYLINE: I only want to walk to my house, to Gaza City. Just the happiness inside you driving you all the way. I'm feeling truly, Aya, that every single step that I'm taking is truly taking me to the heaven, not to Gaza. Just like after all of that patience, after all of that missing for Gaza City, now we're being reunited again.
MARTÍNEZ: You know, we've been hearing his great reporting on all of this for over a year, so it's really nice to hear the joy in his voice. But what will he be going back to?
BATRAWY: Yeah. I mean, look, Israeli airstrikes have destroyed tens of thousands of buildings, and survivors of these airstrikes tell us that under the rubble are entire families, thousands of bodies that have not been retrieved. The U.N. also says there are unexploded bombs amid all this debris, posing a huge risk to people. But Anas says people in Gaza have been living without electricity or adequate shelter for over a year now, displaced in other parts. So they're ready to set up tents atop the rubble of their homes, and they will be heavily relying on U.N. aid for basics like food and water.
And there's also this reality, A, many people are returning without those they left with. Parents are returning without all of their kids, and children are returning without their parents. Thousands of Palestinians were killed while they were seeking shelter in southern parts of Gaza in the war.
MARTÍNEZ: All right. And what's the reaction in Israel been to the ceasefire deal so far?
BATRAWY: Well, many in Israel are relieved that hostages are being freed in the ceasefire, and there will be three additional people freed this week. That's out of 90 still held in Gaza, many believed to be alive. Hamas has already freed 7 Israeli women in exchange for nearly 300 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons just in the first week of the ceasefire. But there are also people on the far right in Israel angry with this deal. They want Israel to return to war, and they argue that this deal leaves Hamas in power.
It's also worth mentioning, A, this isn't the only ceasefire in place in the region right now. The one that halted fighting between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah group was just extended for three more weeks. That's despite more than 20 people killed in Lebanon yesterday trying to return home to their villages in or near areas still controlled by Israel.
MARTÍNEZ: That's NPR's Aya Batrawy joining us from Dubai. Thank you very much.
BATRAWY: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
