After 15 months of war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are returning to northern Gaza as part of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Early on Monday, displaced Palestinians – huddled together and holding their belongings in sacks and plastic bags – began heading northwards on foot through the Israeli-established Netzarim Corridor, which bisects the strip.
The Israeli military earlier on Monday said it would allow Palestinians to cross via the coastal al-Rashid Street by foot starting and the central Salah al-Din Street by vehicle from 9am (07:00 GMT).
Hamas called the return “a victory” for Palestinians while its ally Palestinian Islamic Jihad said it was a “response to all those who dream of displacing our people”.
In a statement, Hamas said Palestinians returning to areas from which they were forcibly displaced “prove the failure of the occupation to achieve the aggressive goals of displacing people and breaking their steadfast will”.
In the early days of the war, Israel had forcibly evacuated about 1.1 million people from northern Gaza to prepare for a ground invasion.
Israel delayed opening the Netzarim Corridor, originally scheduled over the weekend, over Hamas’s failure to release female Israeli captive Arbel Yehud in the latest captive-prisoner exchange on Saturday.
Hamas accused Israel of violating the ceasefire despite the group informing mediators that Yehud was alive and giving guarantees for her release.
On Sunday, Israeli forces had blocked Palestinian civilians from approaching the Netzarim Corridor, firing on crowds on several occasions and killing at least two Palestinians, according to medical sources.
Israel agreed to open the crossing on Monday after Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Hamas had agreed to release Yehud and two other captives before Friday.
Israel’s war in Gaza has killed at least 47,306 Palestinians and wounded 111,483 since October 7, 2023.
At least 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks that day, and more than 200 were taken captive.
Palestinian authorities said the actual death toll during the 15 months of relentless Israeli air and ground assaults is likely to be much higher as they continue to recover bodies from the rubble.
