US envoy: Gazans who fled to south must be allowed to return to their homes ‘as soon as possible’

The Biden administration’s envoy for the humanitarian situation in Gaza, David Satterfield, says Palestinians from northern Gaza who fled to the south upon directive from the IDF “must be allowed to return to homes in the north as soon as possible.”

Yesterday, a senior Israeli official briefing reporters on the recently inked hostage deal stressed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had blocked the inclusion of a clause that would have allowed for Palestinians who evacuated to the south to return to the north where the IDF still plans to continue operating after the ceasefire of several days expires.

It is also not clear what those Palestinians from northern Gaza will be able to return to, as most of the area has been decimated in the ongoing fighting.

In an interview with the Lebanese broadcaster al-Jadeed, Satterfield reiterates the US position against the displacement of Palestinians, which also flies in the face of a growing number of recent proposals from right-wing and even centrist Israeli lawmakers calling for countries around the world to take in Gazans and promote their voluntary resettlement.

Satterfield clarifies that the US “wants to see Israel succeed in its campaign,” and warns the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon against continued missile fire at Israel if it wanted to avoid an escalation.