Gaza Factions Announce Marches for the Palestinian Right of Return

Palestinian factions plan a series of actions to demand the people's right to return to their homeland. (AFP)
Palestinian factions plan a series of actions to demand the people's right to return to their homeland. (AFP)
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Gaza Factions Announce Marches for the Palestinian Right of Return

Palestinian factions plan a series of actions to demand the people's right to return to their homeland. (AFP)
Palestinian factions plan a series of actions to demand the people's right to return to their homeland. (AFP)

A national high committee, assembled by Palestinian factions in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, announced on Saturday that it was coordinating a number of events that would culminate in a major a protest march that would demand the right of return for Palestinians.

The events and demonstrations aim to reject any attempts to eliminate the Palestinian cause. It also seeks to lift the siege on the Gaza Strip, which Israel imposed 11 years ago.

Member of the Central Committee of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) Hussein Mansour said in a press conference held near the Karni crossing east of the Gaza Strip that there will be activities and mass movements.

They are aimed at confronting the occupation forces and breaking away from the security situation Israel is trying to impose on the Palestinian people.

He pointed out that the major rally will coincide with a broad regional and international political move, with the participation of individuals, institutions and Palestinian, Arab and international bodies supporting the cause.

He added that preparations are underway for millions of Palestinians to participate from Gaza, the West Bank and diaspora.

“We are facing a new stage in which our people decided to regain the initiative, armed with their rights and principles… to break the state of national stalemate and confront all circumstances and challenges," the PFLP leader said.

He stressed that “the main message of the march is the struggle to achieve the return of refugees according to the UN resolution 194.”

The resolution defined principles for reaching a final settlement and returning Palestinian refugees to their homes.

It resolved that “refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbors should be permitted to do so…and that compensation should be paid for the property of those choosing not to return and for loss of or damage to property which, under principles of international law or equity, should be made good by the Governments or authorities responsible.”

Mansour said that the march also aims at “achieving tactical objectives on confronting the American decision concerning Jerusalem, ending the siege on the Gaza Strip and addressing the targeting of refugees by stopping UNRWA support.”

He called on the Palestinian masses to join in mobilizing mass movements and national events, sending a strong message that the people are united and steadfast where it concerns their rights. He called on the diaspora to also stage mass support campaigns.

He also called on the official and non-official international institutions and the UN to shoulder their responsibilities by enforcing resolutions against Israel and end of the suffering of the Palestinian people.



Death Toll in Israeli Strikes on Gaza Rises to 77 since Ceasefire Deal

Men and children stand next to a destroyed car amidst debris and rubble by a collapsed building at the site of Israeli bombardment on a residential block in Jalaa Street in Gaza City on January 14, 2025 amid the ongoing war in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
Men and children stand next to a destroyed car amidst debris and rubble by a collapsed building at the site of Israeli bombardment on a residential block in Jalaa Street in Gaza City on January 14, 2025 amid the ongoing war in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
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Death Toll in Israeli Strikes on Gaza Rises to 77 since Ceasefire Deal

Men and children stand next to a destroyed car amidst debris and rubble by a collapsed building at the site of Israeli bombardment on a residential block in Jalaa Street in Gaza City on January 14, 2025 amid the ongoing war in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
Men and children stand next to a destroyed car amidst debris and rubble by a collapsed building at the site of Israeli bombardment on a residential block in Jalaa Street in Gaza City on January 14, 2025 amid the ongoing war in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)

Israel airstrikes killed at least 77 people in Gaza overnight on Thursday, residents and authorities in the enclave said, hours after a ceasefire and hostage release deal was announced to bring an end to 15 months of war between Israel and Hamas.
The complex ceasefire accord emerged on Wednesday after mediation by Qatar, Egypt and the US to stop the war that has devastated the coastal territory and inflamed the Middle East.
The deal, scheduled to be implemented from Sunday, outlines a six-week initial ceasefire with the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, where tens of thousands have been killed. Hostages taken by militant group Hamas, which controls the enclave, would be freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners detained in Israel.
The deal also paves the way for a surge in humanitarian aid for Gaza, where the majority of the population has been displaced and is facing acute food shortages, food security experts warned late last year.
Rows of aid trucks were lined up in the Egyptian border town of El-Arish waiting to cross into Gaza, once the border is reopened, Reuters reported.
Israel's acceptance of the deal will not be official until it is approved by the country's security cabinet and government, and a vote was slated for Thursday, an Israeli official said.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has delayed the meeting, accusing Hamas of making last-minute demands and going back on agreements.
"The Israeli cabinet will not convene until the mediators notify Israel that Hamas has accepted all elements of the agreement," a statement from Netanyahu's office said.
Hamas senior official Izzat el-Reshiq said on Thursday the group is committed to the ceasefire agreement announced by mediators on Wednesday.
For some Palestinians, the deal could not come soon enough.
"We lose homes every hour. We demand for this joy not to go away, the joy that was drawn on our faces - don't waste it by delaying the implementation of the truce until Sunday," Gazan man Mahmoud Abu Wardeh said.