Thousands of displaced Palestinians return to Gaza City

Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians were walking toward their homes in the northern part of the Gaza Strip on Monday, nearly sixteen months after they were forced to flee at the start of Israel’s military offensive.

Having trekked miles from southern parts of Gaza, thousands of Palestinians began arriving in Gaza City, in the north of the territory. The cease-fire between Israel and Hamas remained in place after it appeared to falter over the weekend.

It was unclear what they would be returning to. Northern Gaza has turned into a wasteland after Israel destroyed whole neighbourhoods and Hamas booby-trapped many buildings.

A column of people that stretched for miles marched north along Gaza’s coastal road, many carrying their possessions in plastic bags slung over their backs. Many had spent the war sheltering in tents, after Israel ordered roughly a million people to flee northern Gaza in October 2023 ahead of its military invasion and then prevented their return.

Some used bikes, wheelchairs and trolleys to carry their belongings. One man attached wheels to a plastic box, turning it into a makeshift stroller for a baby.

On Saturday, Hamas released four female Israeli soldiers who had been taken hostage on 7 October, 2023. Israel, in turn, handed over 200 Palestinian prisoners.

But on Sunday, their week-old truce appeared to wobble. Israel said it would delay the return of displaced people to northern Gaza, as required by the cease-fire agreement, partly because Hamas had reneged on a plan to release a female Israeli civilian on Saturday.

After hours of tense negotiations, the two sides reached a new agreement late Sunday night under which Hamas would hand over the female hostage by the end of the week. In exchange, Israel began allowing displaced Palestinians to return to the north after dawn on Monday.