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**Summary:**

UN Special Rapporteur Balakrishnan Rajagopal highlights the dire situation facing Palestinians returning to northern Gaza after Israeli forces withdrew. He emphasizes the widespread destruction of homes, the profound psychological trauma experienced by returnees, and the urgent need for shelter. Rajagopal criticizes Israel’s blockade for preventing the delivery of tents and caravans, hindering immediate relief efforts. He accuses Israel of “domicide” and suggests the destruction of homes is a central element of a potential genocide, drawing parallels to the Nakba.

**News Article:**

**UN Expert: Returning Palestinians in Gaza Face ‘Profound Trauma,’ Israel Must Allow Aid**

**Gaza Strip** – A United Nations expert is urging Israel to immediately allow the delivery of tents and caravans to the Gaza Strip, as displaced Palestinians returning to the north of the bombarded territory are met with scenes of utter devastation.

Balakrishnan Rajagopal, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, stated that Palestinians are returning to neighborhoods reduced to rubble, highlighting the severe psychological impact of witnessing such widespread destruction. “The psychological impacts and trauma are profound,” Rajagopal told Al Jazeera, “and that’s what we are seeing right now as people are returning to northern Gaza.”

Tens of thousands of Palestinians have streamed back into northern Gaza following the withdrawal of Israeli forces as part of a recent ceasefire. While welcoming the cessation of hostilities, residents are grappling with the scale of destruction. The UN estimates that 92% of residential buildings in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed since October 2023, forcing hundreds of thousands into makeshift shelters.

Rajagopal criticized Israel’s blockade, noting that previously planned deliveries of tents and caravans were largely blocked. “Even immediate relief and aid to the people of Gaza is not possible unless Israel stops controlling all the entry points. That is essential,” he emphasized.

The Special Rapporteur has previously used the term “domicide” to describe the systematic destruction of homes in Gaza, asserting that it is a key aspect of a potential genocide against Palestinians. “The destruction of homes and clearing people from the area and making the area uninhabitable is one of the main ways in which the act of genocide has been committed,” he stated. He likened the current situation to the Nakba, the 1948 displacement of Palestinians during the creation of Israel, predicting a recovery process that will take generations.

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