Israel out of picture, here’s how Egypt, US screening Gazans returning home in north

As hundreds of thousands of Palestinians return to their homes in northern Gaza, Israel has a minimal role in the provisional governance of the Gaza Strip.

Most of the responsibilities related to the screening of Palestinians travelling northward have been taken up by US and Egyptian private security contractors . Even though Israel had pledged to remove Hamas from power in Gaza, the Hamas-run Gazan police are also involved in the process along with Red Cross.

At the Netzarim Corridor, a strip of land carved by Israel that divides Gaza into two northern and southern halves, Palestinians travelling northward are screened to ensure they have no weapons . This is done in line with Israel’s demand that no terrorist of Hamas or any other group goes to northern Gaza by hiding in the midst of Palestinian civilians.

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The Israel-Hamas War had displaced the vast majority of Palestinians in Gaza — nearly 1.9 million out of pre-war population of 2.1 million. Throughout the war, they sheltered in southern Gaza as much of the fighting raged in the north.

Following the ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and Hamas earlier this week, they have now started returning to their homes in the north. Hundreds of thousands are travelling on foot as well as in whatever vehicles they could find — cars, carts, makeshift trolleys or strollers. Visuals show miles-long lines of Palestinians marching to their homes or waiting for their vehicles’ turns to be screened.

The AFP reported an official as saying that around 200,000 Palestinians had already returned to northern Gaza on Monday.

How Palestinians’ return to northern Gaza is managed

It is relatively smooth for Palestinians travelling on foot as their screening is simpler. The process for those in cars is a bit complicated.

The BBC News has reported that Palestinians going northward have to first contact a Hamas-run Palestinian police checkpoint located approximately 300 metres from the inspection area.

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At that Hamas-run checkpoint, permission is granted to 20 vehicles at one point to proceed to a designated area to be screened, according to the report.

The screening is done via x-ray machines that check whether the vehicle has any weapons.

The inspection is undertaken by US and Egyptian contractors and Red Cross personnel are also stationed at the site, as per the report.

As the line of vehicles is several miles long and it takes at least two minutes to screen one car, and only 20 cars at screened in one batch, it is expected that the process to screen and clear all vehicles could take many days.

The BBC has reported that “Israeli army monitors the process from a short distance” and is not involved.

However, once a vehicle has been cleared, the vehicle is granted a permit by the Israeli military to go further into Gaza, according to Al Jazeera.

Hamas is not involved in the screening at Netzarim Corridor, but it has also taken up medical and civic services.

The Hamas-run Gazan government has employed “more than 5,500” people to “facilitate the return of displaced people” to Gaza City and the north, according to AFP. Separately, The New York Times reported that the Hamas-run Gazan health ministry as saying that it had set up 19 emergency medical points to go to their homes in northern Gaza. The ministry said these medical points were set up “to provide urgent health care to citizens returning to their areas”.