74 Palestinians return to Gaza from West Bank in emotional reunions

Dozens of Palestinians who had been stranded in the West Bank since the outbreak of war in October 2023 returned to the Gaza Strip on Monday, leading to emotional reunions with long-separated family members. Footage captured the moment a young girl embraced her father as he stepped off an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) bus, a scene marked by tears and relief. In another instance, a woman was seen prostrating in prayer immediately after disembarking at the Kerem Shalom crossing. Palestinian journalist Yafa Abu Aker was also filmed in a tearful reunion with her father. The ICRC confirmed that, in coordination with the Palestine Red Crescent Society, it had facilitated the voluntary transfer of 74 individuals to the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis. In a statement, the ICRC noted that the Gaza these individuals have returned to is vastly different from the one they left, citing widespread destruction, loss of life, and the displacement of families. According to Al Jazeera, hundreds of Gazans who had travelled to the West Bank for medical treatment or other purposes were left stranded when the war began. Additionally, thousands of Gazan workers who held permits to work within Israel were detained and subsequently transferred to the West Bank following the start of the conflict.