Palestinians start returning to northern Gaza after 15-month conflict

Israel on Monday started allowing Palestinians to return to the war-torn northern Gaza Strip for the first time since the early stages of the 15-month conflict with Hamas, in line with a fragile ceasefire agreements.

Thousands of displaced Palestinians, who had been waiting for days to cross, began heading north after the checkpoints opened at 7am. The Associated Press reporters confirmed people crossing the Netzarim corridor shortly after the scheduled time.

The reopening of the passage had been delayed by two days due to a dispute between Hamas and Israel, which accused the militant group of altering the order in which hostages were released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

An official from the Hamas-run interior ministry confirmed the return of displaced Palestinians.

"The passage of displaced Palestinians has begun along the Al-Rashid Road via the western part of the Netzarim checkpoint towards Gaza City and the northern part of the Gaza Strip," the official said.

The ceasefire aims to bring an end to the deadliest and most destructive conflict between Israel and Hamas, while also securing the release of hostages taken during the militants' October 7, 2023, attack, which ignited the war.

During the early days of the conflict, Israel ordered a mass evacuation of the northern Gaza Strip and sealed off the area after ground forces moved in.

Around one million people fled to the south in October 2023 and were not allowed to return, while hundreds of thousands remained in the north, an area that saw some of the worst fighting and destruction of the war.