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Photos: Published by Haaretz
Palestinians displaced from the Jabalya area make their way to the southern Gaza Strip along the Salah al-Din route, last month. Credit: AFP. Published by Haaretz
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The military stated that so far, approximately 55,000 residents of Jabalya have fled south, adding that 'no one is returning to the northern area. According to a report in The Guardian, the statement was made by the commander of Division 162, Brig. Gen. Itzik Cohen

by Yaniv Kubovich for Haaretz
Nov 8, 2024

Israel's army said it will not allow residents evacuated from the northern Gaza Strip to return to their homes. "No one is returning to the northern area. There is no return to the north, and there will not be," military sources said this week, noting that about 55,000 residents from Jabalya had fled south.

According to a report in The Guardian, this statement was made by Brig. Gen. Itzik Cohen. Senior IDF officials have previously made similar statements. Cohen, the commander of the 162nd Division, explained that this decision was driven by the need for Israeli forces to resume operations in areas of northern Gaza, like Jabalya. He said humanitarian aid would only be allowed to enter regularly in the south of the Strip, not the north, "because there are no residents left there."

The Guardian reported that an IDF spokesperson claimed on Thursday that Cohen's remarks were taken out of context and did not "reflect the IDF's objectives and values." The spokesperson added that the IDF does allow humanitarian aid to be delivered to the north, including to Jabalya.

The army said Hamas prevented these residents from leaving Jabalya for a long period of time, withholding food and water and even executing people. According to estimates, only a few hundred residents now remain in Jabalya.

The IDF has reported on its operations in the area as successful, and claims that about 700 people suspected of being members of Hamas or other terror organizations were captured and transferred to Shin Bet interrogations, providing valuable intelligence. Around 1,000 militants were killed in these operations, and of the approximately 200 booby-trapped homes, Hamas was able to activate explosives in only two locations.

The IDF acknowledged that this is the implementation of "certain parts" of the "General's Plan," developed by retired senior officers, which calls for the forcible expulsion of the entire Palestinian population to the southern half of Gaza, south of the Netzarim corridor (the Gaza River area) controlled by the IDF. According to the plan, which faced international criticism, anyone choosing to remain in the northern Gaza Strip would be considered a Hamas militant and could be targeted. The plan also called for blocking the entry of humanitarian aid into the north.

While the residents did not move south of the Netzarim corridor, they were effectively expelled from the northern quarter of the Gaza Strip, to areas south of Jabalya, possibly even to the Al-Shati refugee camp, slightly further south. This operation has involved massive destruction of homes and infrastructure in the northern Gaza Strip, some of which appears unrelated to direct combat. These are almost irreversible changes, and Palestinians will likely need years to repair them, if at all.

Last month, it was reported that, under pressure from political officials, the IDF is preventing the return of Jabalya residents to their homes, despite most of the military objectives of the operation in northern Gaza being achieved. It remains unclear if and when the tens of thousands of residents, who were evacuated at the army's request, will be allowed to return to the area, where Israeli forces are still operating.