Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians were walking toward their homes in northern Gaza on Monday, nearly 16 months after they were forced to flee at the start of Israel’s military offensive. A column of people that stretched for miles marched north along Gaza’s coastal road, many carrying their few possessions on their heads, on makeshift carts and in plastic bags slung over their backs.
The United Nations said over 200,000 people were observed moving north in Gaza on Monday morning alone.
The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remained in place after it appeared to falter over the weekend, but it was unclear what the displaced Gazans would be returning to. As they began arriving in Gaza City, in the north of the territory, they confronted a wasteland of rubble after the Israeli military destroyed whole neighbourhoods and Hamas booby-trapped many buildings.
Many of those returning had spent the war sheltering in tents, after Israel ordered roughly a million people to flee northern Gaza in Oct 2023 ahead of its military invasion and then prevented their return. On Monday, 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. Yasmin Abu Amshah, a mother of three, said she walked 6 km to reach her home in Gaza City, where she found it damaged but still habitable. “It was a long trip, but a happy one,” she said. “The most important thing is that we returned.”
On Saturday, Hamas released four female Israeli soldiers who had been taken hostage on Oct. 7, 2023. Israel, in turn, handed over 200 Palestinian prisoners. But on Sunday, their week-old truce appeared to waver. Israel said it would delay the return of displaced people to northern Gaza, as required by the ceasefire agreement, partly because Hamas had reneged on a plan to release Arbel Yehud, a female Israeli civilian who was seized during the Hamas Oct 7 assault.
After hours of tense negotiations, the two sides reached a new agreement late Sunday under which Hamas would hand over Yehud, along with other hostages, by the end of the week. In exchange, Israeli forces began allowing displaced Palestinians to move north on Monday, opening coastal road to people on foot and a second, interior road to vehicles, which were subject to inspection.
Israel said it had received a list of information from Hamas on whether hostages were alive or dead. Govt spokesman David Mencer said that Hamas said that of the 33 to be released in the first phase, eight are dead and the other 25 are alive. Approximately 90 hostages are still in Gaza.