Tens of thousands of Palestinians began moving along the main roads leading north in Gaza on Monday as Israel opened roadblocks after the militant group Hamas agreed to hand over female Israeli hostage Arbel Yehud and two other hostages.
Television images showed large crowds on the move, and witnesses said the first residents arrived in Gaza City in the early morning after the first crossing point in central Gaza opened at 7:00 a.m. (0500 GMT). Another crossing was due to open at 9:00 a.m.
As news spread that the crossings would be opened, thousands of displaced families cheered in shelters and tents.
“No sleep, everything packed and ready to go with the first light of day,” said Ghada, a mother of five.
“At least we are going back home, now I can say the war is over, and I hope it stays calm,” she told Reuters via a chat app.
Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, residents of northern Gaza were supposed to return at the weekend, but Israel said Hamas broke the deal by failing to release civilian hostage Yehud and kept the crossings closed.
Late on Sunday, Qatari mediators announced that Hamas had agreed to release Yehud and two other hostages before Friday, and in return, Israel would allow displaced Palestinians to return to northern Gaza starting Monday morning.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Sunday that Yehud, soldier Agam Berger, and another hostage would be released by Hamas.
He also posted on X that Israel would allow displaced Gaza families to return to homes in northern Gaza starting Monday morning.
“The prime minister reiterates that Israel will not tolerate any violation of the agreement. We will continue to act for the return of all of our hostages, the living and the deceased,” said a statement from Netanyahu’s office.
Following the Qatari announcement, Hamas said early on Monday that it had provided mediators with the required information about the list of Israeli hostages to be released during the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
This move, brokered by Qatar and Egyptian mediators, would allow around 650,000 Palestinians in central and southern Gaza to return to homes in northern Gaza, much of which had been destroyed by Israel’s 15-month aerial and ground offensive.
Hamas took about 250 hostages during the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, in which around 1,200 people were killed, igniting the latest bloodshed in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians had waited for two days at roadblocks to return to their homes in northern Gaza, expressing frustration after Israel accused Hamas of breaching a ceasefire agreement and refused to open crossing points.
The Israeli military issued a statement saying that Gaza residents would be allowed to return on foot through the coastal road at 0500 GMT and by vehicle through the eastern Salahudeen road at 0700 GMT.
It warned them not to approach Israeli forces’ positions.
“The transfer of militants or weapons via these routes to northern Gaza will be considered a violation of the agreement. Do not cooperate with any terrorist entity that may try to exploit you to transfer weapons or prohibited materials,” said the military.
