Israel lets Palestinians return to northern Gaza for first time in over a year

Israel opened roadblocks for large crowds of Gazans after a hostage breakthrough with militant group Hamas

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Palestinians, who were displaced to the south at Israel’s order during the war, make their way back to their homes in northern Gaza. Photo: Reuters

Published: 3:01pm, 27 Jan 2025

Israel on Monday began allowing thousands of Palestinians to return to the heavily destroyed north of the Gaza Strip for the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month war with Hamas, in accordance with a fragile ceasefire.

The opening was delayed for two days 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. Mediators resolved the dispute overnight.

Palestinians who have been sheltering in squalid tent camps and schools-turned-shelters for over a year are eager to return to their homes – even knowing that they have likely been damaged or destroyed.

Many had feared Israel would make their exodus permanent, and expressed similar concerns about an idea floated by US President Donald Trump to resettle large numbers of Palestinians in Egypt and Jordan.

A Palestinian man is hugged while making his way back home in northern Gaza. Photo: Reuters

Ismail Abu Mattar, a father of four, described “a sea of people” heading north. He said he and his family had waited three days to return to their home in Gaza City. “They were three days of hell,” he said. “We were concerned that the truce would collapse and we wouldn’t return.”