Israeli troops pull back but maintain a watchful eye on the tens of thousands of Gazans who had been displaced during the 15 months of fighting.
Almost 16 months after Israel ordered them to flee south, displaced Palestinians began a long-anticipated reverse exodus on Monday, trekking to their homes in northern Gaza as a cease-fire held and Israeli troops withdrew from parts of the enclave. Even before 7 a.m., when an Israeli military spokesman said people could return on foot, video broadcasts showed massive crowds gathering near the Netzarim Corridor, an Israeli-controlled area that runs from east to west and bisects the Gaza Strip.
For Palestinians, it would amount to a second 'Nakba,' or disaster, their word for the founding of Israel in 1948, during which millions of Palestinians fled or were driven from their homes. Many still harbor hope for the creation of a Palestinian state in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. Jordan, especially, would have difficulty absorbing more Palestinians. Its population is already majority Palestinian-descended.
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