Palestinians return to northern Gaza after more than one year of Israel blockade
Thousands of people had been waiting for days to cross into their homeland.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians streamed into Gaza’s most heavily destroyed area on Monday after Israel opened the north for the first time since the early weeks of the war with Hamas, a dramatic reversal of their exodus 15 months ago.
As the fragile ceasefire held into a second week, Israel was informed by Hamas that eight of the hostages to be freed during the deal’s first phase are dead.
Joyous crowds of Palestinians, some holding babies or pushing wheelchairs, walked along a seaside road all day and into the night, carrying bedrolls, bottles of water and other belongings. A few armed, masked Hamas fighters flashed a victory sign. The crowd was watched over by Israeli tanks on a nearby hill.
The United Nations said more than 200,000 people were observed moving north in Gaza on Monday morning alone.
Palestinians who have been sheltering in squalid tent camps and former schools are eager to return to their homes — even though they are likely damaged or destroyed. Many had feared that Israel would make their displacement permanent.
Yasmin Abu Amshah, a mother of three, said she walked six kilometres to reach her damaged but habitable Gaza City home. She saw her younger sister for the first time in more than a year.
“It was a long trip, but a happy one,” she said.
Many saw their return as an act of steadfastness after Israel’s military campaign, which was launched in response to Hamas’ attack on October 7 2023, and as a repudiation of US President Donald Trump’s suggestion that large numbers of Palestinians be resettled in Egypt and Jordan.
Meanwhile, Israel said a Hamas list shows that eight of the 33 hostages to be released in the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire are dead.
Government spokesman David Mencer told journalists that Hamas said the other 25 are alive. Israel overnight said it had received a list of information on the status of the hostages from Hamas.
Israel has said the next release of hostages will take place on Thursday, followed by another on Saturday.
The opening of the corridor in northern Gaza was delayed over a dispute between Hamas and Israel, which said the militant group had changed the order of the hostages it released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
Mediator Qatar announced an agreement had been reached to release an Israeli civilian hostage and allow Palestinians to return to northern Gaza overnight, easing the first major crisis of the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Qatar’s statement said Hamas will hand over the civilian hostage, Arbel Yehoud, along with two other hostages before Friday. And on Monday, Israeli authorities will allow Palestinians to return to northern Gaza.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a statement said the hostage release — which will also include soldier Agam Berger — will take place on Thursday, and confirmed that Palestinians can move north on Monday.
Under the ceasefire deal, Israel on Saturday was to begin allowing Palestinians to return to their homes in northern Gaza. But Israel put that on hold because of Ms Yehoud, who Israel said should have been released on Saturday. Hamas accused Israel of violating the agreement.
The release of Ms Yehoud and two other hostages is in addition to the one already set for next Saturday when three hostages should be released.
In addition, Hamas in a statement said the militant group had handed over a list of required information about all hostages to be released in the ceasefire’s six-week first phase.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s office confirmed it had received the list.
Local health officials on Sunday said Israeli forces fired on the crowd of people waiting to move north through the Netzarim corridor bisecting the territory, killing two people and wounding nine.
US President Donald Trump meanwhile suggested that most of Gaza’s population be at least temporarily resettled elsewhere, including in Egypt and Jordan, to “just clean out” the war-ravaged enclave. Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinians rejected that, amid fears that Israel might never allow refugees to return.
Senior Hamas official Bassem Naim said Palestinians would never accept such a proposal, “even if seemingly well-intentioned under the guise of reconstruction”.
He said the Palestinians can rebuild Gaza “even better than before” if Israel lifts its blockade.
