Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are returning to the heavily destroyed north of the Gaza Strip for the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month genocide in Gaza.

The return, delayed for two days following a dispute between Hamas and Israel over the release of an Israeli captive, is in accordance with a fragile ceasefire deal agreed a week ago. The ceasefire is aimed at winding down the deadliest and most destructive war ever waged on Gaza, and securing the release of captives and prisoners held by Hamas and Israel, respectively.

Palestinians, who for all these months had been sheltering in squalid tent camps and schools-turned-shelters, are eager to return to what is left of their homes, likely damaged or destroyed due to the Israeli assault.

Hamas said the return was “a victory for our people, and a declaration of failure and defeat for the [Israeli] occupation and transfer plans”.

Israel had ordered the wholesale evacuation of the north in the opening days of the war in October 2023 and sealed it off shortly after ground troops moved in.

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About a million people fled to the south, while thousands remained in the north, which saw some of the heaviest fighting and the worst destruction caused by the war.

Many had feared Israel would make their exodus permanent, and expressed fears of ethnic cleansing after United States President Donald Trump asked Egypt and Jordan to settle Gaza’s Palestinians on their soil.